With Thanksgiving around the corner, I find myself thinking of all the things that I am so thankful for! From a loving family, great friends that I get to do life with, a church that is focused on reaching the world by serving one, and God who blesses me beyond measure. I am too blessed to be depressed!

Recently I received this email  that I wanted to share with you. It is about a single mom who came in for financial assistance and met a God who gave her more than she could ever ask for:

This single mom recently came to the BRDC. She had recently lost her parents as well as her two year old son. She came in for financial assistance, but as she talked with one of our volunteers, she began to tell her story of how she was a dancer in one of the local clubs here. She had received a rose on three separate occasions during our outreaches there. After the third rose she could not do it anymore. She quit the club and began working at a car lot. That was difficult but she has been out for six months. She had kept the card on the rose we gave her and that was how she got to HPC.

 She enrolled her children into the Upward Sports soccer program at HPC. Her ex-husband who had not seen the children in two years began coming to the soccer practices and games. He then began coming to church. Now the whole family comes to church, they share joint custody, and it all started with a “rose”. How cool is this? We keep giving for the One. Keep going the second mile… and the third rose causes a girl to exit the sex trade industry, and a soccer team gives her children their daddy back…

This is what it’s all about! I am so thankful to be part of a church that looks for the one. Whether you are  serving on an outreach or giving to be a Kingdom Builder. You are the church. And I am thankful to get to serve along side of each of you. Together we reach, serve, give, and build so even more can encounter Jesus!

This holiday season, let’s take time to thank Him for saving us and giving us life!

This weekend I had the privilege of joining Pastor Vic Comstock and his team  for services at Family Life Fellowship in Moberly, MO. My boy, Matt Laborde and I flew up there for the weekend and I had the honor of speaking at their services and an evening for the volunteers. We had an awesome time and Pastor Vic and his team really have an incredible church. Here are some pictures from our time together!

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Can you believe Thanksgiving’s right around the corner?! I am pumped for the turkey and pumpkin pie.

But before any cooking begins, this Saturday we are going to have an opportunity to serve. Tomorrow HPCers are going to gather together at the Baton Rouge and Donaldsonville Dream Centers at 10:00am for a Thanksgiving grocery outreach. Bust out those red shirts and bring your friends and family to our Dream Centers to get your serve on!

For maps and directions, click here. 

See you there!!

I just love holidays! They are already playing Christmas music on the radio and all the decorations are out. But even more, I love the holiday season at HPC! We take the time to focus on family and celebrate all that God has done this year. We use this opportunity to serve the community because we realize that the blessing on us is not just for us, but for others. This is a value that we strive to demonstrate as a church. This weekend we will have Thanksgiving Outreaches at our campuses. If you are interested in being a part, you can get more information at http://www.healingplacechurch.org/thanksgiving_outreach.php.

This weekend we also celebrated Miracle Offering. This was truly one of the most inspiring weekends I have ever been a part of at HPC. The Spirit of God was so strong and the people so committed. I am humbled by the faith of people, that they believe in us and TRUST IN HIM!  I heard that two people gave their hearts to Christ at the connect table in the foyer, before service even began! God truly values one commitment far more than a hundred opinions. As we spent time this week in prayer and reading the Word of God, I am sure that the spiritual temperature was elevated and miracles were activated. Sometimes God will require you to make sacrifices that you don’t understand, but he will also give you blessings that you don’t understand either. This Christmas season, let’s celebrate the greatest sacrifice of all-that God gave his only son-to provide the greatest blessing of all-everlasting life for us!

We are just two days away from Miracle Offering Weekend! This is an incredible time for our church as we pray, plan, prepare, and now participate in giving so that lives can be touched. One of our youth, Alex Hardee said, “It can’t be an offering to God until it is first a sacrifice to us.” So this weekend, we will make a sacrifice believing that God will use it to reach those who are not yet here.

Leading up to this, we will have a time of prayer tomorrow morning from 6-7am in the Highland Sanctuary. Together we will worship, receive communion and thank God for His faithfulness.

Can you believe that in just 85 days, 12 weeks, 3 months, we will move into the HPC ARENA!  Every night this week and all weekend long we are covering the new arena with the Word of God and reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  All the time slots are filled to read but feel free to join us in the arena or online at http://healingplacechurch.org/arenabiblereading/ to read along.