We are entering the last two months of the year and the holiday season. Here’s a peek at what’s coming.

Rocky Point - Nov. 6-9. Several hundred of us will make a difference for several families by building a home for those living in shelter that is less than adequate.

Reach - A Night of Music and Message. The Newsboys will be doing a concert outreach event at the TEP on Sat. Nov. 8. Gates open at 5pm. Concert begins at 6pm. Admission is free, but there is a $5 TEP parking charge. Contact Bryan Lee at the church office (blee@pantanochristian.org) if you are willing to provide counseling and prayer for anyone looking for spiritual direction at the concert. We hope to staff a Pantano Christian Church table at the event.

Weekend of Worship - November 29 & 30. We’ll be doing a weekend of worship at our both of our campuses. The E. Tucson campus weekend will be Nov. 29 & 30 and the Sierra Vista campus will be live the next weekend. We’ll not just do a lot of singing, but we’ll be reminded and helped to connect with God and give him all honor that he deserves. Don’t miss this!

Christmas at PCC. This Christmas season I am asking that we as a church family do three things:
1) Relax. Let’s not jam this time so full that we are not able to love and enjoy one another and become distracted from celebrating the real reason for the season.
2) Give Relational Gifts. I asking that all of us commit to not buying lots of stuff (that we forget about after Christmas anyway), but give relational gifts. Relational gifts are the gift of ourselves. It can be something we make and give or it could be giving of ourselves in special ways. I’ll unpack this more and give you some creative ideas in November and we’ll have a list on our website.
3) Make a Difference. With some of the money we save on not buying tons of store bought gifts we have the opportunity to make a difference for those in need. Starting this week we’ll share how you can make a difference in a struggling family that has fallen through the cracks of our social systems. We call this Season of Giving. Our Christmas Eve offering will be devoted to some local benevolent needs (they are HUGE this year) and an international water project. More details coming.

Our kid’s choir GLORee will kick off our Christmas celebration on Dec. 6 & 7 (E. Tucson Campus only). Our theme for our Christmas series is the Bethlehem Conspiracy. Again, more details coming.

Blessed to be a blessing;

Glen

Jesus came to make a difference! He came to make an eternal difference in all our lives. He came to bring a God revolution to all people groups. He came to see individuals, families and whole communities transformed.

This Saturday (Oct. 25th) we engage in Make a Difference Day both here in Tucson and in Sierra Vista. This is a national day and we decided a few years ago that the church should be a part of this. We focus on helping out the schools in the neighborhoods where we are praying and working to see some good things happen to bring about a turn-around in those communities.

In addition to the physical work we’ll do on Saturday, we are also doing surveys in these neighborhoods. Working with the neighborhood associations, schools and police department, we are trying to find out the needs of the communities and what resources are already there. It is a beginning piece of a very strategic plan to bring hope and transformation to these neighborhoods.

We ask just 5 questions and none of them are threatening. We are attempting to discover the needs and resources of the neighborhoods. In fact, in our early survey work, we have found folks to be very receptive. Most folks want to live in a great neighborhood. But the problems seem so big and hope is low. Alone, no one can make a difference. What we bring is some hope, energy and a way to help get people together to make a difference.

My life group will be doing surveys after Make a Difference Day. If your family or life group could spend a couple hours doing a few surveys, please contact any of the folks below. They will give you the surveys, where to survey and the basic training of how to do the surveys. Your help is greatly appreciated.

• Paul MacKinney - Alvernon Heights Neighborhood - 721-7083
• Don Ashley - Julia Keene Neighborhood - 886-8000
• Josh White - Myers Neighborhood - 205-2306
• Rick Stevenson - Roberts Neighborhood - 514-9500

These neighborhoods are a great place to involve your life group or even start a life group. We also need folks to pray for these neighborhoods. Instead of drive by shootings, wouldn’t it be great to have drive by prayers? One of our members just offered to hold a martial arts class in one of the neighborhoods. The possibilities are endless!

Together, we can make a difference;

Glen

From time to time I’ll share some of my life axioms. An axiom is a saying that helps me keep perspective, focus and balance in life. An axiom is NOT scripture or on the level of the teachings of Jesus, but they help me apply biblical principles. So here’s the first one.

Paul commands that we have patience in Ephesians 4:2. The word patience in Greek is “makrothumia.” Makrothumia means wide or big soul. A patient person has a big soul or a generous inner life that allows others room to make mistakes without giving up on them. We can allow others to mess up and still be committed to them. I’ve had lots of opportunities to practice this with my kids and my wife has had lots of practice with me!

Here’s my axiom that goes along with patience - Don’t take temporary for permanent. In the past my kids made some mistakes and unwise decisions. I was hurt at the time. But I kept remembering that whatever stage they were in was not permanent. Today, many years later, I get to experience a maturing with them. They did move past some of those days we would rather forget.

Last week was the stock market’s worst week EVER in its entire history. Today, things are looking better and even gas prices are down. Of course we are not out of the financial crisis, but today will not stay as it is.

Today is temporary - period. It does not last. I change. Those around me change. Circumstances change. Life changes. Yet we somehow get fearful that today will also be tomorrow and forever.

God is patient. Peter writes a letter and gives an answer to those who think Jesus is taking too long to return. 2 Peter 3:9 says “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Jesus is not in a hurry to return and end it all as he wants time for everyone to come to faith. He wants to give us more time to choose well. He is incredibly patient with me as he’s put up with my stupid habits for many years. He never gives up on me or you. Jesus doesn’t take who we are today as the way we will always be. He is patient. He has a wide soul - He’s forever committed to us.

We are all less than perfect saints. We all still do and say dumb things. At times it seems like we’ll never get it right. Selfishness is a powerful resident in all of us that fights eviction. But God is patient. Maybe we should be more patient with ourselves also! Maybe we should offer patience, a wide soul, to others?

Thankful for God’s patience;

Glen

This is the final proposition I’ll refer to in my blog. On November 4th we have the opportunity to vote “yes” on proposition 102 that would define in our state constitution a biblical view of marriage. The proposition states: “Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.”

It is not hard to see the biblical view here. Again, because of limited space, I would encourage you to look at these biblical texts and make a decision if this proposition supports God’s view of marriage.
• Genesis 2:18, 24
• Mark 10:6-9
• 1 Corinthians 6:16; 7:1-5, 10-11
• Ephesians 5:21-33
• Hebrews 13:4

Why a state constitutional amendment? Two states have already redefined marriage and in those states the church and Christian institutions are facing legal challenges for living by the biblical definition of marriage. While we have an Arizona law that regulates marriage today, it is vulnerable to both legislative change and judicial tampering.

Will this constitutional definition deny civil rights to others? I do not believe it does and it does not require that anyone’s civil rights are denied. I don’t want any law or constitution to deprive any person of their legitimate rights. But I also don’t want the agenda of others to redefine marriage.

The matter of civil unions is another discussion. The state can decide the question of civil unions. But as a follower of Jesus and as a pastor, I can only see that marriage (not civil unions) is between one man and one woman. At Pantano, we will officiate marriage ceremonies that celebrate a man and a woman entering into a lifelong covenant of love before God. It is God who created and ultimately recognizes marriage.

This is an amendment FOR marriage not AGAINST others. I’m FOR marriage as God created it. I want to fulfill and support the command given in Hebrews 13:4 - Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

For almost 29 years Jolene and I have been married through good and bad (Okay, I was the source of most of the bad!). I still believe in marriage as God created it and as God wants it to be lived out. Roger will address this again when he teaches on Ephesians 5:21-33 next weekend at the E. Tucson campus and in two weeks in Sierra Vista via video.

Glen

I am asking that we take careful look at proposition 200 and look at some key biblical teachings before we vote.

Proposition 200 is called the Payday Loan Reform Act. In 2000, the AZ State Legislature and Governor gave the payday loan industry a 10 year exemption on state usury cap laws that limited interest and fees to 36%. I don’t know why they did that. Their license to operate will expire July 1, 2010 and Prop 200 would supposedly reform (it does need reforming) and legalize the industry. But the proposition appears to be reform when in fact it will legalize usury. What is usury?

“Usury is defined as the act of lending money at an unreasonably high interest rate. This rate is defined at the state level. Repayment of loans at a usurious rate makes repayment excessively difficult to impossible for borrowers. This is also called ‘loan sharking’ or ‘predatory lending’.” (www.usurylaw.com)

Usury is morally wrong and a payday loan is the worst of all debt. The very presence of payday loans is allowing people to go into the bondage of debt faster and deeper than ever. They take over 150 million dollars a year in fees from Arizonans. It is possible for a person who uses payday loans to pay around 400% interest. You can never get out debt with that kind of usury. It is oppressive financial bondage.

Given the limited space of my blog, let me ask you to look at some key biblical principles about debt and usury. Make your decision based on biblical teaching and not on the Prop. 200 reasoning that Arizonans need more “choices.”
• Exodus, 22:24-27; Leviticus, 25:35-37 & Deuteronomy, 23:19-21 (The Torah forbids Jews to personally charge interest to Jews!)
• Psalm 15:2-5 (Description of a righteous person who doesn’t practice usury)
• Proverbs 28:8 (Warning against those who practice usury)
• Proverbs 22:7, 26, 27 (Warnings against debt, debt is slavery)
• Psalm 112:5; Isaiah 10:1-4; Jeremiah 5:26-29 (God is a God of justice who demands justice)

The payday loan industry is investing over 10 million dollars to continue the practice of usury (it is a very profitable industry). For the sake of families and financial freedom, I will vote NO on Prop. 200 to stop the legalization of usury. It is the poor and unsuspecting that are victimized the most by this industry.

If you are in debt (payday loans, credit cards, consumer debt, etc) and struggling, we can help. Please call the church office. We have financial counselors who can come along side you to help you work toward financial freedom.

Standing for true financial freedom and justice;

Glen