INCITE STUDENT MINISTRY - MISSION MEXICO 2007
The student ministry of Preston Trail Community Church will be heading to Mexico for our upcoming mission trip. The dates for this trip are Saturday, March 10 - Wednesday, March 14th (Spring Break). The cost of this trip is $200 and registration has begun.

PT SOFTBALL
If you are 18 years or older and are interested in playing softball (men’s or co-ed) this spring on a PTCC team, sign-up at the YES! Table and you will be contacted with further details.

MEN'S MINISTRY
PTCC has a new and exciting men’s ministry designed to help men build strong friendships with other Christian men, become better husbands and/or fathers, and grow closer to God. Sign-ups already have exceeded expectations but there's still time to get involved. The weekly sessions begin 8 p.m. Feb. 21 and 6 a.m. Feb 23. Email Matt Moss for more information.

SONGWRITERS NIGHT
Bring your friends and enjoy an unplugged Night of Stories and Songs with the songwriters of Preston Trail Community Church. This event will be March 2nd at 7PM in the atrium of PTCC. Coffee and desserts will be provided to sweeten the experience. Come and help us celebrate the power of the song.

ONLINE GIVING
Make your life simpler by automating your giving. Follow the easy directions at www.prestontrail.org to setup for debit or credit card for regular giving and dream big donations. All transactions are secure and will appear on your regular statement.

LIFE GROUPS
Sign up at the Information Table or email info@prestontrail.org and get involved in a group!

Taking Sin Seriously

At Preston Trail we have a saying, “We take grace and sin seriously.”  We understand and rely on God’s gracious, forgiving nature and Jesus’ saving work for us on the cross.  No person is too sinful to be forgiven, too broken to be healed, or too lost to be found by God’s gracious love.  At Preston Trail “grace abounds”, as the Apostle Paul would say.

We also take sin seriously.  Sin is more than just little slip-ups or cases of “bad judgment.”  Sin, plainly spoken, is rebellion against God and the way he wired both us and creation.  It is deciding we know more about creation and how to live in it than the Creator.  So we go our own way, flippin’ the bird at the one who created flight.  Not smart.  As one insightful writer has concluded, “We break God’s laws at our own peril.”  So in our “infinite” wisdom we human beings have ushered into the world just about all the lying, murder, raping, injustice, abusing, warring, gossiping, stealing, slandering, and hoarding we can stand.

We take sin seriously because we know first hand that it has the power to separate us from God, break us, wreck our families, spoil our reputations, drain our bank accounts, harm our children.  Sin, literally can rip our lives apart.  That’s why Paul and I are going to take the next 7 weeks to talk very candidly about some “deadly sins.” We will focus both on how they infiltrate our lives and generate pain and brokenness as well as how to overcome them with God’s help.  Christians through the centuries have identified pride, lust, anger, gluttony, greed, laziness, and envy as particularly insidious and chronic.  They just have a way of continually slipping in through the cracks in our souls to wreak havoc with our relationships with God, our selves, and others.

Dis•Integrate: Seven Sins That Rip Your Life Apart begins this Sunday.  Don’t miss Paul Basden’s insightful take on how “Pride” can start a downward spiral that will ultimately separate us from God and those we love.  Here’s the rest of the lineup for this new series:

2/25   Lust
3/4    Anger
3/11  Gluttony
3/18  Greed
3/25  Laziness
4/1    Envy

God is up to some awesome things at Preston Trail.  Invite your friends and family to join us for this powerful new series and pray that God will use it to bring each of us the release and victory that we need in every area of our lives!

See you Sunday!

Jim

Read previous Trail Notes here

Click here for more information on Dream Big!

LISTEN! Preston Trail Podcast
PTCC worship messages are available by subscription to our podcast or for listening on our website. So, if you missed a service, or want to share one with a friend go here and take a listen.
You will have the option of downloading and listening to them on your computer or even subscribe here (or press the iTunes image on the right) to have them come to your computer automatically each time one is added - then play them on your computer or your iPod while you're exercising or driving.