Have you ever noticed that for all the talk of self-empowerment and self-love in the world, we are constantly blasted with messages and images that in one way or another we aren't enough. We aren't thin enough, muscled enough, light enough, tan enough, attached enough, free enough, blonde enough, natural enough. It's no wonder that we are often left confused, frustrated, and absolutely appalled at our own perceived inadequacies. After all, not only must we contend with our own minds, but also the opinions of all the others bombarded with the same lists of not enough. It's as though we think that maybe if someone else is even less enough than we are, we can somehow feel a little better about our own world-defined short comings.


 Are you ready for the good news in this mess? 


We don't have to be defined by the ever-changing standards of the world. Instead, we have an eternal value given to us by the God of everything. David wrote in Psalms 139:14 that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. The Hebrew word for fear used in this verse also means to "stand in awe." He described how God knit us together in our mother's womb. Picture that with me for a moment. The infinite God of all the universes taking time to labor over your design with more care than an artist working on a masterpiece. Those pesky freckles you have that pop out the minute the sun graces your skin? God put each of them there with love, designing you to be awesome and wonderful. The hair (or lack thereof) on your head that isn't quite the latest and greatest trend? Yep, God also designed that to be awesome and wonderful in His eyes. Your weight, height, abilities, nose size, short fingers, or any of the thousand of potential "flaws" you could find with your body all still fall under the category of fearfully and wonderfully made. 


 Because, here's the thing, until we truly accept and believe that God designed us with ultimate love, to be His own unique and amazing works of art, it is difficult to truly love ourselves. And when we don't love ourselves, it makes it nearly impossible to share Love as it was meant to be shared. We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves, but this can only be fulfilled if we allow God's Love to permeate beyond what the world tries to tell us we should be, and help us to become what we were created to be.


 If you struggle with seeing the true beauty and worth in yourself, I pray that the Spirit reveals the powerful truth of one of the most recognizable scriptures in the Bible. For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son. God loved YOU, exactly how you are, so much that He was willing to watch His Son suffer and die so that you could spend an eternity with Him. The world will always tell us the ways we aren't enough, because the true Love isn't in this world. But God tells us that we are infinitely precious, valuable beyond measure. The first step to loving ourselves is accepting this great Love from God and letting the overwhelming beauty of Him first flow into us and then overflow out of us. 


 There is a quote by Lao Tzu that says, "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." I have always loved this quote, but looking through the eyes of Love it contains an even greater meaning. By accepting, sharing, and returning the Love of God with ourselves and others we are given the strength to discover the purpose and design we were meant to have in this life and then the courage to help others find that as well. So know this, you are deeply loved by God and His Strength is waiting to lift you up. All you have to do is allow it to come in.


- Tonya Miller (Community Outreach Director)


Amen! - Youth Pastor Jason Johnson

I'm always excited to see God moving.  And when he places people in the body it's always a masterpiece.  Men have messed up multiple times trying to place others in the body of Christ.  But when God does it, it is perfect.  Tonya Miller has recently stepped up as our director of community outreach.  I have witnessed her heart for the hurting many times.  This is one of her writings that demonstrate our heart as a congregation.  

Tonya wrote, 
"After a wonderful discussion with Pastor Jason one night, I was pondering what it meant to be a Christian and this is the analogy that popped into my head. I was thinking about EMTs. I know, I know, makes no sense, right? But just bear with me for a moment.

 You see, the job of an EMT is to go to the broken and the hurt and do everything in their power to stabilize the injured and get them to a doctor. They don't hesitate before stopping bleeding to lecture about how the injury was obviously the fault of the patient. They don't ask the injured to fix their brokeness in their own power before they can be transported to a physician. And, perhaps most importantly, they don't sit in their ambulance and wonder why the hurt aren't coming to them. There is a lot of pressure on the EMT. They face situations that aren't always fair and certainly not easy, but that was the job they signed up for. They agreed to save the hurting people through whatever difficulty and get them to the doctor.

 To me, THAT is exactly what it means to be a Christian. We are supposed to go to those hurting, injured, and broken souls and love them. We are to let the light we carry within shine to guide them to the Healer we know personally. It wasn't through words of condemnation or threats of hell that changed my soul, that healed my broken spirit. It was instead the Love I felt pour into every crack in my heart, every wound that had been created, that led me to the Great Physician. As Christians, I feel that our emergency tool of healing and stabilization is simple and beautiful LOVE. Their pain calls out as loud as any siren. We find them, we love them, and then, well, we can let the Doctor do the rest."

AMEN!  Let's lead others to the ultimate physician.  Let's love our community.  Let's be the body of Christ. 

- Pastor J
Live For Christ 

                Do you remember the first time someone ask you to pray out loud?  I sure do.  It was Father’s day 1999, there was a big crowd at Faith Baptist Church in Louisa.   I was a newly converted 27 year old man that didn't know the difference from the Old Testament to the new…no kidding, I really was that dumb.  At the end of the service we were prompted to stand.  I immediately started to position myself directly behind the person in front of me, using him as a sort of camouflage.  I learned that trick early in my Christian walk, don’t be an easy target you know. One more thing I picked up while in Basic Training, avoid eye contact, especially with drill sergeants & preachers.  I gave every not so subtle clue that I had no interest in being called on what so ever.

My tactic had worked well up until this point.  The preacher said: “Lets bow our heads”. We all did.  I thought I was good to go.   Then he said: “Brother Castle, why don’t you dismiss us?”  My head sprung up like a jack in the box, our eyes locked as I brought my right hand up to my chest, pointing to myself & mouthed the word “Me” with the most confused look I could muster.  I was hoping there was another brother Castle that he was addressing.  My hopes were destroyed in a single motion. His head nodded in affirmation. 

Then it felt as if time stopped.  Second seemed like an eternity as I tried to find the right words.  I didn't really pay attention when others prayed, so there was no way I could just repeat what the last guy said.  I couldn't remember what the proper words were.  I didn't know how to sound like a Christian.

While the blood rushed to my feet & I felt faint, my legs and arms started to go numb & tingle.  There were several thoughts racing through my mind, could I say no?  Does anyone say no to this guy?  If I did say no, would I be shunned?  If I did pray & messed up would I get in trouble?  Maybe they would withdraw the right hand of fellowship…or worse, maybe I would have to pay one of those “tithes” I hear everyone grumbling about! I've got a baby at home!  I can’t afford another bill!

It would be great to tell you that I opened my mouth & the Holy Ghost filled it with the most eloquent & sanctified prayer that has ever been prayed.  I wish it was that easy sometimes.  Listen up all of you who are just starting out with this thing called Christianity, there is a lesson here.  In comparison to other prayers I had heard, I tanked.  I mean really…really tanked!  As I started speaking from an extremely dry mouth, my closing prayer was nothing more than a bunch of mumbled, barely audible words stringed together with long pauses and “Ums”.  I did remember “Amen” though.

After I was done & people started filing out, the preacher came to me & said “Sorry, I didn't know”.  Great.  More proof that I really sucked at this Christian thing.  Just to let you know I didn't end up passing out, nor did they kick me out or make me pay a “tithe”.   I think they felt sorry for me. 

Looking back on that experience I can’t help but to laugh.  I had no idea at the time God would eventually call me to preach.  I got a glimpse of the future in that very same church house a short time later when my wife Maggie told me she could see me preaching one day.  Really? Did you miss that prayer from Hades last week?  I sure do love her, she always sees the best in me.   

 That prayer was the first of many public prayers I have now prayed.  It may sound very strange, but I sometimes wonder if that wasn't the best prayer I have ever prayed.  I say that because I had not “Learned” to pray yet.  No formulas, no favorite scriptures to quote, no memorized words.  Just me & God & my open heart. 

Maybe I didn't fail after all.   Hope to see you soon!

Live for Christ,

Pastor Dan 

In speaking with pastor Dan last night, it was revealed to me a primary purpose of ministry.  That purpose is to bridge the gaps. Christians today have been too focused on creating gaps instead of bridging the gaps.  For example, the gap between sinners (unsaved people) and saints (saved people).  Some within the Christian religion love making that separation as big as possible without trying to create a clear bridge for sinners to become saints.  But Christ reached out to sinners, loved them, and created bridges.  And so should we.

Our lives are full of gaps.  A gap is something that hinders people from reaching the other side.  I have witnessed hurting people that have experienced multiple types of gaps in their lives.  These gaps cause them to struggle with life and love.  Four common gaps in life are…

Gaps between people and God

The major gap between people and God is sin.  Sin causes separation (Isaiah 59:2).  We have all fallen short of the glory of God.  We all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and need a bridge to help us cross back into communion with God.  Thankfully that bridge was created by our loving God.  Jesus was sent to earth as the perfect sacrifice to bridge the gap (Hebrews 7:25).  Because of the work done on calvary we can cross the bridge and fellowship with God.  If you have a gap between you and God, get out of the sin business and get in the business of knowing Christ.

Gaps Between People and Others

The gap between people is hate.  Hate grows out of many situations.  People hurt others, use others, abuse others, and cause all kinds of hurt and pain.  This hurt and pain is heavy baggage that many of us carry around all the time.  God wants us to be free from all this baggage.  It’s not an easy thing to forgive others, it’s not easy to mend broken relationships.  But through Christ living within us we can overcome this gap.  Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.  If we carry around the baggage of hate and brokenness in relationships we keep a gap between us and others.  God seeks for us to bridge this gap.  

Gaps between people and Church

What a gap that has been created between people and Church.  Christians have caused so many gaps in this relationship that many who want to come to God are stumbling over those who claim to be God’s people.  Traditions, hypocrisy, legalism, hate, and many other stumbling blocks have been placed between God’s people  and seeing the Church.  We as the body of Christ have an obligation to remove the stumbling blocks and reveal God’s divine institution, the spotless bride of Christ to the world.  People who claim to serve Christ have caused this gap and it’s their responsibility to bridge that gap.  

Gaps between “church” people 

One of the saddest gaps that has been created is between “church” people.  Denominations and other practices have caused much grief and separation between people who are pointing others toward heaven.  We tend to make “church” a sport with winning and losing teams being congregations.  When we should be reaching our hands out to fellowship with every blood washed one.  Christ prayed for the unity of his people (John 17:22-23).  If it was dear to his heart right before going to the cross, it should be dear to our hearts also.  Divisions in Christianity cause many christians to stumble.  It has the world asking, “What church is right?”  When in all honesty we should all be pointing toward the one true Church that all the saved belong to.  We are all brothers and sisters in Christ and there should not be division.  

Are there any gaps in your life?  If so bring them with you to pChoG.  We care about helping people bridge gaps and find God.  We all have gaps and struggles in life.  But thankfully God has made bridges for each if we seek them.  You will be hearing much more about gaps and bridges in the future, this is what God laid on my heart and I don’t see it moving too far away from it anytime soon.

Live for Christ,

Pastor Jason

Why in the world do I want to pastor?

This question is not something I actually ask myself, but I get that “look” when I tell someone I am a pastor, especially if they don’t know me to well.  I guess it’s a logical question to ask & one that needs to be answered.  So, for my first blog post on pChog Blog I will tackle this. 

For the politically correct crowd, I’ll offer full disclosure up front, I tend to tell it like it is.  My beautiful wife Maggie tells me all the time I need to filter what I say.  My son keeps track of the crazy stuff I say & my daughter leans a little my way with how she handles things.  (I feel for her husband) Maybe Maggie is right, I don’t know. I kind of like who I am & have a difficult time not saying things that need to be said.  Is it a strength or weakness?  You are welcome to pass the time pondering the thought.  While you are thinking about it, I’ll be out helping someone or spending time with my family.  If that turns your stomach a little, stop reading.  It will only get worse from here.

Back to the subject at hand.  Why in the world do I want to pastor?  I actually don’t want to, at least not in the traditional sense.   It’s not that I haven’t toyed with the idea before.  There have been numerous opportunities since I started preaching to pastor a congregation, none of them felt right though.  I’ve laid awake at night pondering the idea as people made their way in and out of my life seeking to use me in some sort of way.  I’ve not really been the type to need a position or title, so I steered clear.  It’s a good thing I did, because I would have failed.  I see clearly now I would have been like every other “Traditional Tommy” pastor (Forgive me if your name is Tommy & you are a pastor, I promise if I had a beef with you, I wouldn’t be passive aggressive.) 

You see, in my mind “Traditional Tommy” may not be the root cause of a lot of the issues we see in congregations today, but he is a huge contributing factor.  He allows himself to be pruned & hobbled over time by either” Big Bertha talk a lot” or “By-Law Bill” and won’t do or say what needs to be said or done in fear of losing his income or title.   Keep in mind, with any type of root, it grows below the surface where you can’t see & the longer it exists, the harder it will be & the more damage it will do to the good soil when we tear out the root. 

It’s important to note that “Traditional Tommy” usually walks into a congregation because someone failed, was either ran off or just gave up. For a short while, he will be able to do & get away with things his predecessor wouldn’t have imagined.  He is ready to take on the world & “Seek & save them that is lost” and the sheep follow him.  He doesn’t walk in as “Traditional Tommy”, but rather evolves into the role over time.  I understand he walked into a mess & has great intentions, just lousy follow through.  “May the odds forever be in your favor.”  Seriously, if that’s you starting out, you’re going to need all the help you can get.  Those types of situations are where feelings get hurt, dreams die & aspirations turn into asphyxiation & you fade into a slow death.  It happens way too often. 

That scares me.  That’s why I don’t want to be a pastor in the traditional sense.  I don’t even like being called pastor.  I have shared this with some of you, but feel it’s noteworthy to repeat.  I would much rather the term “Pastor” be an action verb, as in what I am doing rather than a noun, as in what I am known as. 

To me, pastoring should be messy.  It involves getting down & dirty at times.  Isn’t that most of our lives anyways?  Do you have it all together?  I certainly don’t.  I don’t even wish I did…after all, how would I feel so close to God as I do now if it wasn’t for the storms he pulled me through.  No storms, no need for help. 

By the way, I love messy people.  I’ve always had a heart for the underdog in life.  Even before I “Got into church” I would find myself helping the ones who others would write off.  I guess I relate better with the people that don’t pretend to have it all together, or can’t pretend because they are sooo busted in the act of being stupid.  Certainly describes me.  Been there, done that.    I like the guys & gals that have a past & have the scars & tattoos to prove it.  They are much more interesting to talk to. 

So…if you are looking for the calm, traditional color inside the lines guy for a pastor, you should have stopped reading like I told you to.  I’m sure “Traditional Tommy” is up the street somewhere, it won’t be hard to find a safe place to warm a pew.   

If you got excited about the prospects of getting in the trenches, then hang on.  I don’t promise a smooth ride or deluxe accommodations, but I do promise I will be there every step of the way.  Especially when it gets messy.  

Live for Christ,

Pastor Dan