This Sunday is Saint Patrick’s Day, a day marked by many people talking about luck and good fortune. I have taken the simple stance that “luck is for rabbits!” If you don’t understand, just think about the superstition that a rabbit’s foot brings good luck to the one who holds the foot, obviously not to the rabbit who lost the foot!

    

Now that I have your interest, let me share with you a few highlights about PHBC becoming a scrappy church. With the recent changes and changes still to come as God reshapes the ministry here, we need to be reminded that God is not done yet at PHBC. Tom Rainer, in his book Scrappy Church, encourages churches in transition to remain persistent and remember that the hope we have is God’s hope and God’s possibilities.

 

• Move from Excuses to Ownership – We need to lean on God and quit making excuses for things.
• Turn Obstacles to Allies – Take the things and people that appear to be hindrances and through God’s love turn them into allies and champions. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 – “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs.”
• Move from Limitations to Abundance – Understand that God has all the resources needed to carry out His ministry at PHBC. Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
• Turn from Despair to Joy – We need to shift our attitudes and dwell on the things that are praiseworthy. Philippians 4:4, 8 – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
• Transition from Fear to Courage – What are we afraid of? If God has placed us here, we need to carry out His ministry and take the Gospel boldly to a world that desperately needs to hear it. Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
• Move from Seeing the Impossible to the Possible – Philippians 4:13 says, “I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Had the “unlucky” rabbit been a bit more “scrappy”, I suppose he would be in my backyard with all four feet eating my flowers as they come up this spring. Fully knowing PHBC’s mission of “Helping people find and follow Jesus Christ”, we have the opportunity to decide if we are going to be “scrappy” and fight for the lost in our community, or continue the status quo and settle, running the risk of someday no longer being of use to God and His plan.