Archive for September, 2011

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28
Sep

Porch Notes: Boy Meets Girl Finale 9/27

posted in: Porch Messages

Porch Notes 09/27/2011

Boy Meets Girl Finale (Jonathan Pokluda)

-JP’s 7th wedding anniversary was this past weekend so he took his wife to Cuervo, TX.

JP took art lessons at a studio there when he was growing up. He had some ability, but he wasn’t patient. He didn’t like how long it took. He teacher would correct the mistakes he made while being impatient. Some of his favorite parts of those paintings to this day are the mistakes that were corrected.

Many of our dating/non-dating relationships are filled with mistakes that we want to correct. Read the rest of this entry »

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26
Sep

Trading Truth for Lies

posted in: Porch Messages

Maybe you say you believe the bible, but are your friends, your own desires, or your culture a stronger influence in your life?

Read below and see if you can relate to any of this…

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Read the rest of this entry »

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23
Sep

Boy Meets Girl Encore Notes 9-20-11

posted in: Porch Messages, Uncategorized

Boy Meets Girl – Encore, Part 1, Jonathan Pokluda

NOTES:
JP’s Story Read the rest of this entry »

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20
Sep

I’m Not Strong Enough

posted in: Our Community, Porch Messages, Uncategorized

STRONG WHEN I AM WEAK

Do you ever have those times when you feel like the hits keep coming? When it rains, it pours? When the storms in life keep coming and you think, “ok Lord I’m not sure how much more I can take”?

Then someone tells you, “When you are weak He is strong”. We hear that and far too often let that go in one ear and out the other without thinking much of this great truth.I can think of many times in my life, and to be honest the past couple weeks have felt like one thing after another keeps happening, and I wonder when I will have just one week of calmness…

Check out this song by Matthew West: Strong Enough <- click for video Read the rest of this entry »

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13
Sep

God Unscrambles Eggs

posted in: Porch Messages

“God unscrambles eggs….and only God” –Victor Marx

My life has been a scrambled egg for sure. It’s felt like such a mess at times and I’ve wondered when the trials are going to end. For far too long I kept wondering when things would just be smooth, or not feel like a rollercoaster. How long would it be until I felt at peace and true joy? Read the rest of this entry »

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6
Sep

Victor Marx @ The Porch

posted in: Porch Messages

The Porch at Watermark, September 6, 2011
Victor Marx, Loving and Following the Lord

Victor is the youngest master-level black belt in the U.S., recently inducted into the martial arts hall of fame. After years of teaching martial arts in Hawaii, he went into ministry with incarcerated youth. ATP Ministries: www.atpministries.org

“The truth of God’s word doesn’t change because of how you feel.” ~Victor

Romans 8:28 is a hard verse to accept when bad things happen, but it’s still true.

You can’t live according to the labels that people or doctors give you. Your identity is in the Bible and what God says.

You have to trust that regardless of what’s happened in your life, God has a plan and has spoken.

You can’t live a life apart from your sinful nature except by the power of God.

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6
Sep

Still Launching

posted in: Our Community

To my dearest brothers and sisters in Christ~

As I reflect on this weekend my heart is full. LAUNCH 2011 was epic! Staff and volunteers have planned, prepped, and prayed for this weekend for the last year, and it brings me much joy to see what the Lord has done. Our prayers of people getting connected to each other (the Body of Christ) and into deeper relationships with the Lord, and to just have a ton of fun were answered. PRAISE GOD!

Read the rest of this entry »

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2
Sep

Boy Meets Girl Notes 8-30-11

posted in: Porch Messages

Porch Notes 08/30/2011

Reading out of the Jesus story book bible:
Fairy Tales aren’t true, or are they? Read the rest of this entry »