Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

PFKBC Busy 1st Week - 11 New Books!

Every week or so I update our family members on their Kindle books.  We each keep our own Kindle, but we share an Amazon account together.  I keep track of who buys what.  The cool part is that we can share the books with one another.  Not only does it save us money, but it gives us something to enjoy with one another.  Here is this week's email.

Dear Dad, Jillian, Tim, Jessica, Dave, Jennifer, Mike, Nancy, Patty, Cheryl, Grayden, Mary Kay, Kimberly and Riley: 

This first week of 2012 you have been quite active in buying... and I hope, reading... your Kindle ebooks.  This past week the PFKBC (Pierce Family Kindle Book Club) purchased 12 new books!  These purchases were made by 6 different members of our family!  I don't always send out an email every week, but some of these purchases were so spectacular, I just knew you would want to know about it. I figured some of you would want to start reading what your other family members have purchased. The new books are listed below.

How It Works. I haven't explained this for awhile, so it's worth reminding you here.  Amazon permits us to have as many devices as we want on one account.  The individual publishers determine how many books may be out on the various devices at a time.  Some books have no limit.  However, most books limit the number of books out on devices to six at a time.  Therefore, when you finish reading your book, delete it from your device.  It won't be deleted from our archived library; it just will be deleted from your device.  That way you'll free up another copy for someone else to read.

Jennifer's New Kindle 3.  Jennifer (pictured above right) was our most active buyer and reader this past week.  She had actually "misplaced" her Kindle.  As Jennifer explained it to me, it was never lost.  She just wasn't exactly sure where it was.  Apparently there is a world of difference between "misplaced" and "lost." Ha!  She found it stuck down her couch. Unfortunately the screen, while not fractured, was fragmented - meaning that the entire screen was not refreshing.  Since she was still within her warranty period she figured she had nothing to lose by calling the great Amazon customer service folks.  She confessed all - exactly what happened - and the nice CSR from Amazon told her that a fragmented screen is covered by warranty.  Jennifer received her new K3 the next day!!! This is why Amazon was rated #1 in customer service last year!

Sicily Becoming Kindle Reader. Jennifer told me something else this morning that was so cool to hear.  Sicily is becoming a Kindle reading fan also!  As grandpa in this family I love that my grandchildren are loving to read.  Jennifer invested in a 3-book collection of books named Ivy and the Bean.  She tells me that Sicily is loving reading these books.  I'm thinking that we may want to do the same thing for Sicily that we did for Grayden last year.  Because of your generosity, Grayden was able to buy his own Kindle last year.  Why don't we do the same thing for Sicily?  When you see her, slip her some change or a dollar or two.  Give her some work to do and pay her for it.  Let her know the joy of saving for something special.  Let her know how much this family loves reading and loves her!  Just my thoughts... admittedly I'm biased!

New Books.  Here are the new books you all have purchased this week. Thanks for purchasing and sharing these with your family.  Let me know if I got any wrong.  Sometimes I have to guess.  Last week I gave Cheryl credit for buying the Mouse poem, then later found out it was really Jennifer who picked up the free poem.  Write me an email or text message when you pick up a book, even if it's free. That way I can include who picked it up in this newsletter.  Thanks!

Audio Sermon: Suffering Now, Glory Later

We had a wonderful worship experience at Church Requel last evening.  I love that we have so many new people coming to our worship services.  I couldn't help thinking last night that if for one Sunday we had everyone come at once, we'd fill the place up!  Those who did come last night experienced the Presence of God - and that's the most that anyone can hope for in a worship service!  

Here's the info about our 35-minute talk last night: the Bible teaches about the reality of suffering for Christ-followers.  However, it also talks just as clearly about the glory to be revealed in Christ-followers later. Join me as we study Romans 8:17-18. Click below to listen to the audio.

Listen to Suffering Now, Glory Later.

Subscribe to this audio podcast!  It's available every week on iTunes or for any other mp3 player.

This Weekend At CR: Let's Thank Our Leaders!

Hi everyone!  This is Pastor Mark writing you with your weekly Church Requel update.  I hope your first week of 2012 is getting off to a good beginning.

Last evening I met with our leadership team.  We are so fortunate to have Nancy, Jonathan, Shaun and Steve as leadership partners in this ministry. Each one came last night with their "A" game.  As the picture to the left illustrates, we can accomplish so much more together than we ever could on our own.  In the next few weeks you're going to hear about a brand-new online giving availability, plans for a special Super Bowl worship service with parties afterwards, and plans for a scrumptious Valentines Sunday potluck meal.  When you see a member of our leadership team, thank them for the time and effort that they give to our church.

This weekend we have some great plans too!  Our worship music should be uplifting to us and honoring to our Lord.  Trish will read a psalm during one of our worship songs.  Marci has agreed to read our weekly Scripture.  Nancy (for the first time ever) will give our announcements.  Steve and Cindy will teach our children.  We'll watch our video promo for the I KNOW sermon series that 14 of us created together.  And I plan to continue teaching from Romans 8.  We'll pray together and share communion together.  Can you think of a better way to spend a Sunday evening?

Do me a favor...  Don't keep our Sunday night celebration a secret!  You have many friends who would LOVE to experience a Sunday night at Church Requel too.  Last weekend Shaun invited a friend from where he works.  Marilyn came and loved it!  For the last two weekends Sonnie and Fred - friends of mine - have come and even brought their children and grandchildren.  They plan on coming back.  We take for granted how uplifting and helpful our Sunday nights are for us.  Do your friends a favor.  Do your family a favor.  Invite them to Church Requel.  Send them a copy of this message.  Tell them about what this weekly worship event means to you.  Let's not keep this to ourselves; let's share the worship in 2012!

See you Sunday night at 6pm! Pastor Mark

Video Sermon: The Word Became Flesh

We are just a bit behind here at Church Requel on posting our sermon videos.  Lots of work goes into them and we've had other priorities (like holidays) that have distracted us.  Here is the short talk I gave to our church on Christmas eve.  It's 17 minutes long.  We followed this up with a candle lighting ceremony.  It definitely was one of my favorite worship services at Church Requel.  Enjoy!

 

Here are the resources to support this week's sermon.  Perhaps you'd like to have a copy of my notes.  If you are a pastor or ministry leader of another church, you are most welcome to use these resources in any way that could build the kingdom of Christ.  We're on the same team!  Download any of the following:

• My teaching notes for this evening (PDF - 102 KB)
• Same notes with graphics in margins (PDF - 1.5 MB), used by our tech team
  
• Christmas Eve Planning Sheet (PDF - 36 KB), for creative ideas to support the theme
  

All of the Church Requel sermons are available either in the CR Video Library or the CR Audio Library or you can listen on the Church Requel Audio Blog.  Would you like to subscribe to the weekly audio podcast and receive the sermon each week?  Subscribe here for iTunes or here for all other mp3 devices.  You can also subscribe to the weekly video podcast.

Sermon Notes: I Am A Child Of God

Every week I publish my sermon notes so that you may read them for yourselves.  For my parishioners, this could be a good review from the weekend before.  And it gives you a chance to see what I intended to say!  For other pastors and ministers, feel free to borrow and use any of this material.  I'd love for God to be glorified by you incorporating these notes into your own worship.

Listen to "I Am A Child Of God"

New Years Eve 2011: “I Am God’s Child” 12.31.11

Scripture:  Romans 8:12-17 ESV

Intro: How we see ourselves dramatically changes how we see the world, how we interact with others, and how we take on life.  If we see ourselves as being downtrodden, losing, of not much worth, we won’t try new things with confidence or take on life’s challenges with gusto. 

We learn this self view at a very early age.  How we are taught to see ourselves by those who raise us is incredibly important.  One of my favorite reads (and movies) in 2011 was The Help.  There’s a line that really sticks out for me.  The maid, Abilene, has her little protege on her lap and she repeats to her over and over again: “You is smart.  You is kind.  You is important.”  Some of you tonight need to hear those words again, but this time from your heavenly Father.  You is smart. You is kind. You is important!  This will make a big difference to you in 2012.

 4 Life-Changing Consequences of Being a Christ-follower.

 #1.  If I am led by God's Spirit, then I am _GOD'S CHILD_.

 Last weekend we talked about how Christ followers are led by the Spirit of Christmas, literally the Holy Spirit of God - the third person of the Trinity.  This weekend we learn another critical component of this relationship between us and God.  This is one of the things that transform us into the children of God!

 "Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God." Romans 8:14 NIV

 Here is my KEY QUESTION for you tonight... one we will ask ourselves over and over again.  If it is true that I am God’s child, AM I LIVING LIKE GOD’S CHILD?  Think about how royalty lives. Obviously there is an enormous amount of wealth and special things that go along with being a prince or princess to the throne.  One of the key things we notice, though, is how someone who is royalty always knows it.  There’s an air about them. There’s a way they carry themselves.  They ACT like royalty!

Do you know that you are royalty? That you are from the noblest of all families?  That you are a son or a daughter of the MOST HIGH KING HIMSELF?!?  Some of us have gotten so accustomed to hearing this that it loses its impact on us.  This is a life-changing statement!  Not only does this impact how we carry ourselves around other people, but it impacts how we carry ourselves with God.  It defines our relationship. 

Illustration - One of my favorite stories about John F. Kennedy AND Abraham Lincoln was how their small sons could walk into the oval office at anytime!  Others would have to wait for their precisely scheduled moment or two.  But little John or little Tad could walk in anytime they pleased.  Why? Because the man who was “president” to everyone else was “daddy” to them.  The same is true for us!

 "And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, 'Abba, Father.'” Galatians 4:6 NLT

 Abba means “Daddy,” “Papa.” Sit in the lap intimate.  Leads us to #2...

Audio Sermon: I Am A Child Of God

I had a great deal of positive response from those who heard this sermon.  I know there are many in our church, who have not had a great relationship with their own earthly daddys.  Nevertheless, I was overwhelmed with those who told me how much this talk meant to them.  Our Bible study is from Romans 8.  However, I was also inspired to layer in one great line from the book (or movie), The Help.  What would 2012 be like if every morning, when you wake up, you hear God's Spirit whisper to you: "You is smart. You is kind. You is important?"

Listen to "I Am A Child Of God"

Subscribe to this audio podcast!  It's available every week on iTunes or for any other mp3 player.

PFKBC Welcomes 3 NEW Members: Mary Kay, Kimberly, Riley

Every couple weeks I update our family members on their Kindle books.  We each keep our own Kindle, but we share an Amazon account together.  I keep track of who buys what.  The cool part is that we can share the books with one another.  Not only does it save us money, but it gives us something to enjoy with one another.  Here is this week's email.

Dear Dad, Jillian, Tim, Jessica, Dave, Jennifer, Mike, Nancy, Patty, Cheryl, Grayden, Mary Kay, Kimberly and Riley:

This is our first Pierce Family Kindle Book Club (PFKBK) Newsletter of 2012.  Happy New Year! May your reading be extensive in this new year.  The past year, 2011, has the distinction for me of the year when I read the most books of any year in my life.  I hope to read even more in 2012.  I hope this is your goal as well.

New Members. We welcome three new members to our happy club.  Mary Kay Pierce is now on board with her iPad 2. As I was showing her the new device, we came to the Kindle app.  She looked up at me excitedly and said, "You mean I'm in the club now too?" Cheryl, you should know that her first read is one of the grief books that you have purchased for us.  Thank you!

Kimberly Marietta, our best friend - part of our family really - is now on board with her own new Kindle Touch.  Roc, the second best husband in the world (next to me!), bought the Kindle Touch for her birthday.  Coincidentally, both Kim's and Mary Kay's birthday are on the same date - December 27th.  We've share many a birthday celebration together.  Now we can share Kindle books too!

Riley Boggs, my nephew, also is on board with his iPhone Kindle app.  Smart fellow, that Riley Boggs. He knows how to maximize value.  He has now turned his phone into a electronic reader complete with 903 books available at the touch of a button.  Welcome Riley!  I'm sure you and your Grandpa Pierce will share a few books with one another.

Patty Chappie, Mary Kay's sister, has been a member of the PFKBC for a few months.  However, her reading has been limited to the Kindle app on her Droid phone.  Her smart husband, Mike, invested into a Kindle Fire for Patty.  I know Patty will love her new device for the reading, movies and many games available.  We have already started playing Words With Friends together.

New Totals.  So how many people do we have in the club now? 15 altogether, counting both Dave and Jessica separately, while they share one Kindle together.  You can see the list in the salutation above. We have 13 Kindle devices plus 9 Kindle apps.  Specifically we have 6 Kindle 3s (Mark, Jennifer, Jessica, Mike, Nancy and Walt), 4 Kindle Fires (Cheryl, Mark, Patty, and Tim), 2 Kindle Touches (Jillian and Kimberly), and one of the new Kindles (Grayden). Our PFKBC archive now boasts 903 books, 112 Audible books, 11 games for the E-ink Kindles, and 45 apps for the Kindle Fires.