laughing my way to a better marriage

hey there.


i get to hang out with mark gungor this weekend, and i think i'm gonna like it a lot.  just look at him!  my kind of guy.


wendy & i are joining 300 to 400 others tonight and tomorrow morning for a marriage seminar that promises not only to be a blast, but also to help our relationships become better.  it is through events like this that i have discovered the key to a fulfilling life.  it's actually very simple:  WORK ON IT!  we will never experience life to its fullest until we commit to living our lives on purpose.


quick question:  what are you doing right now to become the person you want to be?


learning to love,


-pm@

p.s.

if you're in the mount pocono, pa area, and are ready to laugh your way to a better marriage...  come join us!  registration begins at 6pm for this marriage-changing event.  [singles are welcome to join us and start working on a great marriage early!]  

pocono community church

2770 memorial boulevard

tobyhanna, pa  18466

stranglehold

hey there.

it's been a bit...  we've been kinda busy, huh?

[living our lives on purpose will do that].

we started a new message series at underground fellowship:  STRANGLEHOLD  the kick-off night this past wednesday had to be one of the top ten nights we've ever had!  the big idea is that we've let some things slowly creep in and take death grips of our lives.  bad decisions, bad habits, bad self-image, bad culture...  and this march is all about allowing God to break us free from those entrapments.  don't let your friends miss this, [it would be good to see you too].

every wednesday @7pm in pocono community church

north of mount pocono on highway 611, next to the airport

FREEDOM!!!  [picture william wallace]

-pm@

leading from our strengths

hey there.

today was life changing and affirming.  we had our monthly all staff team growth meeting here at pcc.  the day was kicked off with one of andy stanley's catalyst videos.  it reminded us that in order to be great in God's Kingdom, we first have to be the servant of all.  powerful stuff!  after that, pastor dave led us through the strengths finder 2.0 book and personalized reports.  it was great to see how beautifully God has knit our team together with complimenting abilities.  the book taught us that we spend our time much better by embracing our strengths, than by constantly working on our weaknesses.  we accomplish much more together when each of us is hitting the sweet spot of our potential, than when each of us is struggling to shore up our individual weaknesses.

my encouragement for you:

no matter where you are, or what you do in life; and no matter where you find yourself serving God...  your efforts will be multiplied when you serve in your sweet spot!  get the book, take the test, serve God.

happy hunting.

-pm@

  

pure

hey there.

today was the first day of february, which prolly has to be one of my top ten fave months of the year  [...letting that last statement sink in...]  the reason being:  as a student ministries pastor, it is when i get to focus all of my attention on relationship and purity issues.  [put simply:  sex]

there is no question that this topic is exciting, controversial, and sometimes even uncomfortable to talk about.  but during the pure series, we are going to discover that sex is one of God's greatest gifts to us.  the key is to remain pure.

i invite you to come along for the ride if you live in the area.  we meet every wednesday night @ 7pm just north of mount pocono, pa on highway 611 at pocono community church.  we'll be looking for ya!  [if you can handle it...]

-pm@

violated

[posted first on february 1, 2009]


hello, my name is matthew and i’ve been thinking...

the pocono community church family has spent a ton of time preparing to move into our new building. every detail has been carefully considered... anything from which trees to clear off of the lot, to which color flecks to include in the different carpets. every step brings more excitement, as we get closer to actually moving in. now, after all of that, how tragic would it be to learn that someone had come in and single handedly destroyed the new building. every class room had been vandalized with graffiti, every bathroom sink had been broken, every piece of video or audio equipment had been stolen. how hurt and violated would we feel? think about it... then show up for our underground services in february. we will connect our relationships to these strong emotions about the building. you won’t want to miss it! trust me.

[pm@]

i've got gas

[posted first on march 8, 2008]


hello, my name is matthew, and i’ve been thinking...

why is having gas such a bad thing?! if you ask me, it’s kind of a necessity. when we release gas in a constant and steady flow, it keeps us warm on those frigid pennsylvania nights. when we release gas in sudden powerful bursts, it can move people around fairly quickly. the fact that it smells so good is just an added bonus!

speaking of said gas, i want to personally thank all of the undergrounders who took part in the pocono community church gas buy down today! it was a great success. we pumped out nearly 4,000 gallons of gas at 3 different stations, saving everybody in line over 60 cents per gallon. it is the kind of stuff that Jesus is all about. (serioiusly, just read your bible.) let the impact of this day spill over into every other day of your life. always look for real and creative ways to give cups of water to the community that God has planted us in.

[pm@]