Daily Readings in Proverbs

Today we are looking at chapter 29 of Proverbs in our daily reading.

Verse 6 says "An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad."
The problem with sin is that it always catches up with us. We may not suffer its full destructive power, but it will "snare" us at some point. That might simply be the guilt that we feel for having done something that we knew we shouldn't have or the experience that sin degenerates the unity that we are to have with God. The corollary that this verse tells us is that the righteous one (the one in on-going right relationship with God) is free, that one can sing and be glad because they know and experience the growing unity they have with God, others, and within themselves. This is why scripture gives us so many admonitions to choose God and not to sin. As our Father, God does not want us to have to suffer the consequences of sin, instead he desires that we experience eternal (fullness) of life in each moment.
- Pastor Pete

LA Mission Thanksgiving Day

Here is a video from our trip to LA Mission yesterday for their pre-Thanksgiving celebration.
- Pastor Pete

Daily Readings in Proverbs - 2

Today we are looking at Proverbs 20. (As a side not I want to say that the new online bible youversion.com is awesome and you should use it. They even have a mobile version: m.youversion.com)


10 Differing weights and differing measures— the Lord detests them both.
23 The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.

Notice that idea occurs twice in this chapter. That is a good sign that it is important. The Proverbs are written in a poetic fashion. Often in Hebrew poetry key ideas are repeated. One of the reasons that poetry is used in the proverbs is that it makes them easier to remember. Just think about some of the proverbs is American culture: "A stitch in time saves nine." Now, I know what it is saying, i.e. doing something in a timely manner saves you in the long haul. How this relates to sewing I have no idea, but this little rhyme reminds us of the truth it hold. It rhymes and is sing-songy and easily gets stuck in our heads. Notice that in verses 10 and 23 of our Proverb that when the idea is repeated in verse 23 the sentence is written backwards. Go ahead and look at it, I'll wait...Good, did you notice it? Kind of makes it stick in your head a bit.
What do weights and measures have to do with us today? For most of us, unless we step on the bathroom scale every day, not too much. The point of the proverb has to do with honesty. When you are the guy running the scale, the person you are doing business with is at your mercy, they are trusting that your scale is accurate and true. Thus the point of the proverb is to be trustworthy and honest in all of our interactions.
You can take this in many directions: how I conduct myself at work, in relationships, on the basketball court, at the grocery store. You name it. Our lives provide us with constant opportunity to grow in trustworthiness and honesty. Choosing to grow in these areas of our lives reveals true wisdom. It means that we are living out our faith in who God is and what He says.
- Pastor Pete

Congregational Meeting Rescheduled

Our annual meeting scheduled for tonight (11/16) is being rescheduled for a later date. We will keep you posted as to the new time.

- Pastor Pete

Pasadena Marathon Canceled All Roads Open

The marathon has been canceled due to smoke conditions.

http://www.pasadenamarathon.org

- Pastor Pete

Hallelujah Chorus Files

For those who are singing the Hallelujah chorus you can download the audio files here:
1. Soprano
2. Alto
3. Tenor
4. Bass

- Pastor Pete

Latest Newsletter from the Hartels

Adam and Sarah have sent over their latest newsletter. You can download it here. Also, Sarah is on Facebook, you can find her here. I am sure she would be glad to hear from you.

- Pastor Pete

Daily Readings in Proverbs

Pastor Ralph has directed the men of our church to begin reading through the book of Proverbs. One of the disciples that I have practiced in my life is reading through the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds to the day of the month. Today being the 13th, I am reading and meditating on the 13th chapter. I'll be posting on the proverbs throughout the next month. You can read the chapter for yourself at youversion.com, a great new online bible.

3 He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

• I've known both sides of this in my life. As a younger man I often spoke too quickly and got myself into a fair bit of trouble. As I have matured I have learned not be more reflective on what I say before I say it. This does not mean that I have lost my strong opinions (that will never happen) but rather that I have learned (am learning?) to think through something before I blurt it out.

Prayer for the Day: "Lord, help me to guard my mouth so that what I say builds people up, adds life, and is filled with your grace."

- Pastor Pete

Getting to Church on 11/16

11/16 will be the Pasadena Marathon. There will be many street closings, so please use the following directions to get to church that day:

210 E exit at Sierra Madre - Turn right at bottom of ramp
Turn right at Foothill Blvd
Continue on Foothill
Foothill becomes Walnut Ave
Turn left on Harkness Ave

210 W exit at Sierra Madre - Turn left at bottom of ramp
Turn right at Foothill Blvd
Continue on Foothill
Foothill becomes Walnut Ave
Turn left on Harkness Ave

Be sure to leave early enough in the morning to get here one time!

You can find more info at http://www.pasadenamarathon.org/

A map of the street closing is available at:
http://www.pasadenamarathon.org/forms/CourseColorCoded.pdf

Pastor Pete

Halloween Video

Here is the video from Sunday!

Halloween Party Pictures

PFC Halloween Party 08

Here is the first bunch of Halloween Party pics. Thanks to all who helped out.