Jewish Passover Service April 6
When Jesus ate his last supper on earth, he celebrated Passover with his Jewish followers. Unfortunately, the rest of what happened that night is lost to all of us non-Jews. But on Friday night April 6, that meal will take on new meaning for us as John Canter, a Messianic Jew, comes to PTCC to explain what Passover meant to Jews and to Jesus. John will first teach us what this sacred feast meant in the Jewish community. Next he will show us how Jesus is the fulfillment of many of the symbols at the meal. Finally he will guide us to partake of the cup and bread and bitter herbs that are common at a Passover meal, and are what Jesus shared with his followers.The service will be from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Bring your older children with you – we will sit at round tables in the worship center. Childcare will be available for newborns through pre-K at a modest cost, so make your reservations early by contacting info@prestontrail.org. (Be sure to eat beforehand – this is not a meal.)

Showers & Flowers Women Event
Join us on Tuesday evening, April 10th, 6:30PM in our main atrium & worship center for a very special women’s only event. We start with desserts and then will feature live music, drama, testimonies and much much more. ALL women are welcome, so be sure to invite your friends for a wonderful girls night out.Childcare is available for $5 a child.

Pre-registrations is required. Signup at the Yes! table.

Easter Choir
If you are interested in being a part of the Easter Choir, please contact Rod Padgett at Rod@prestontrail.org or 469-951-8490.

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 schedule and details are on the website. Email Matt Moss for more information.

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!

What We Take Seriously

Based on the comments that dozens of you have made to Jim and me, “dis-integrate” has been a meaningful series of messages for PTCC. The Seven Deadly Sins – or “Seven Things that Rip Your Life Apart” – point out the choices and consequences of doing life our way rather than God’s way. As Jim said in his Trail Notes several weeks ago, we take sin so seriously that we are willing to camp out on this topic for seven weeks, trying to show why God’s ways are always best. But that’s not the whole story.

We also take grace seriously. In case you’re not sure what grace is, let me share with you a story I read this morning. It’s from Ruth Graham, the third daughter of Billy Graham. Ruth grew up in a Christ-centered home, but strong Christian parents couldn’t save her from making some disastrous decisions as an adult. One of them was so painful that it forced her to move back home with her famous but aging parents. Here’s how she tells it:

After my failed second marriage, I had to go home. They had [previously] warned me, “Don’t do this.” Daddy had even called me from Tokyo to tell me to slow down, but I was headstrong. It wasn’t long before I realized I’d made a terrible mistake. And I had to flee. I packed up what I could in my car and started for home. It was a two-day drive. Questions swirled in my mind. What were my parents going to say to me? “You’ve made your bed; now lie in it.” “We’re tired of dealing with you.” Were they going to accept me or reject me? The guilt and the shame built with every mile. As I rounded the last bend in my parents’ driveway, my father was standing there. As I got out of the car, he wrapped his arms around me and said, “Welcome home.” That’s grace.

Grace indeed. As Philip Yancey says, “Grace means you can’t do anything so good that God will love you more, and you can’t do anything so bad that God will love you less.” God is love, and you can’t do anything about it … except, of course, accept it when you have failed. When you do, what you experience is grace – acceptance, forgiveness, a homecoming.

A century ago the most famous preacher in America was Dwight Moody from Chicago. He once said what I’m trying to get at now: “Although the voice of sin is loud, the voice of God from the Cross is even louder.” That’s grace. And at Preston Trail Community Church we take it very seriously.

So keep letting God’s Spirit speak to you in prayer and through the messages we are bringing on Sundays. Seek to make progress in living more like Christ. But when you sin, tell God as fast as you can what you did or said, ask for his pardon, then trust him to wipe the slate clean … again. That’s grace. And we take it very seriously. I hope you will too.

Glad to be in this kind of church,

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.

Calendar at a glance...

April 1st Lifegroup Connection 10:35 AM - 11:05 AM

April 6th Passover Service 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

April 29th Partnership 9:30 AM - Noon