Celebration Sunday - Embrace Eternity

Our series, Live Like You Were Dying, came to a close today. I have to say, today's message, Embrace Eternity, had to be the most moving for me. Yeah, we can love deeper, speak sweeter and give forgiveness, but if we aren't doing it all without thinking about eternity, then what's next? Pastor Rick quoted someone by saying, we aren't living to die, we are dying to live. Wow!

We got to watch a video interview between Pastor Rick and John Reed. John was diagnosed with cancer around the age of 42. He received all the treatment that the medical world could give him. However, the cancer was still there. The interview was so inspiring. I could tell you all about it, but I couldn't do it justice. To hear the wisdom of a man, who knew he was going to die, it meant so much and it reminded me of my friend Stephanie who passed away in January of this year. She too, battled cancer and was following Christ's example up until her last breath. John died in June, and as he stated, "got an early out". He no longer has to be in this world. He gets to be with God every day.

The message today meant so much to me, that I would love for this message to be played at my memorial service when I get my ticket out. If you have about 35 minutes, I urge you to watch it. Go to http://pclive.org/ and watch the 9-14-08 date. It may not be on there for a few days, so check back if it's not there. If you want to see all of the series, start on 8-17-08. Also, check out Stephanie's caring bridge journal and see her faithfulness through the chemo, the pain, and the struggles. It will truly move you to tears. 

As a part of celebration Sunday, we had several baptisms at church today. Our friends, Nick and Dana were among them. We were elated.