Questions – Peter Gowesky

In Faith in Real Life

Added Value…

April 3, 2012 2 Comments

Callout, Value Added Many of you know that right now Tiffany and I are in the midst of selling our house and looking for a new home. We find ourselves asking questions almost everyday. Questions like, “how many showings will we get?”, “when will someone make an offer?”, “will they like our house?”, “will we get what we are asking?”. I am grateful to say that we have received a couple offers on our house and we have accepted one of them. PRAISE GOD! Seven days later and we’ve got ourselves a buyer. That’s unheard of, but not when God is in the midst of it!

But now that we are through that hurdle we find ourselves looking at a different set of hurdles. We have rounded the bend in the track and in front of us yet more hurdles. We are asking even more questions, like, “where should we live?”, “what is that area like?”, “can we make that into something we can live in?”, “what can we afford?”. It seems to me that most of our questions are based around the core idea of VALUE. Monetary value, yes, but not just that. The questions that we are asking are centered around the value that this decision will add or detract in our future, and the future of our family.

Value is something that we deal with everyday. I drive past probably 50-60 gas stations on my commute to work and each one has a slightly different value on the gallon of gas. In the morning we value our cup of coffee so much so that some of us will not speak with our spouse until we have tasted the sweet caffeinated nectar. Value shows up in almost every decision that we make.

We deal with value every single day. We evaluate values every single day. We will look at a product or a service and determine if we are willing to pay the value that is set on it. It controls our spending and the use of our time, etc. Yet, how often do we honestly evaluate the value that our own life is adding to our world?

Our lives are significant and valuable. However, they can be used to do one of two things; add value to life, or detract value. Our lives when lived in mission with Christ should add value to the lives of those around us.

So this leaves me wondering… Am I adding value to the lives of those around me? This means the waitress that serves me lunch, the security guy who stands in the lobby of the building, the parking attendant, the lawyer who rides the elevator with me, my neighbor who is always interested in what I’m doing outside, and all of those other people whose lives intersect with mine.

How can I breathe value into their life? Better yet, how can I help them see the value that they have in the eyes of their creator? What about you? Are you adding value to the lives around you?

~Peter

In Faith in Real Life

Segways, Boomerangs, and The Beginning of Time

August 24, 2011 No Comments

Last night Tiffany and I took our kids over to Central Park here in Doylestown. It is one of our favorite places to walk while our kids ride their bikes. Not to mention that Noah and Grace love to run through this massive castle maze! Noah has recently learned how to ride a bike without training wheels and he is just ecstatic! Grace is still cruising along with her training wheels for now. The weather was beautifully cool and the sky was gorgeous. It was no secret, it was a great night for walking! There were a lot of people walking dogs, walking alone with their pure white apple earbuds jammed in their ears. There were young families, like ours, getting their kids out for a pre back-to-school hurrah. It was a great night for walking!

As great as it was for walking it must have been equally as great a night for segway riding, and the atmospheric pressure must have been premier for boomerang throwing. (add a hint of sarcasm there) Why you ask? Well, because I saw both of those activities happening.

Oh, no big deal you say? When was the last time you saw someone throwing a boomerang I ask you?

Just wait… It gets better.

The guy riding the segway was the same guy throwing the boomerang. I was impressed, that boomerang flew back to him each time. There he was out in the field doing his rythmic dance of throwing, leaning and catching.

Only in Doylestown right? Pretty cool if you ask me. I was slightly jealous of both his boomerang skills and his segway skills. Tiffany and I watched him for a while as we were walking back to our car. So, Mr. Segway-boomerang man if you somehow stumble on this please contact me and teach me your ways. Because that would be cool!

Yesterday I started a reading plan with YouVersion, the online Bible reader. I started “Reading God’s story:One year chronological plan”. So yesterday I read Genesis 1 &2. Today I read John 1:1-3, Psalm 8, and Psalm 104. I came across this verse in Psalm 104 (Great Psalm by the way… Go read it!)

24 O Lord, how many are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all;
The earth is full of Your possessions.

I wondered, was the segway made in God’s wisdom? What about the boomerang? And the sport of combining the two activities? The earth is full of His possessions. While shaving this morning I was looking at the drain thinking, what about modern plumbing? Did God give all of this to us in His infinite wisdom?

I’m not sure, but I do know that God gave us minds to think and create. I think God delights in the fact that His creation, who is made in His image, follows His patterns of creativity. The human mind longs to create, invent, and dream. So Mr. Segway-boomerang man, I think you not only brought a smile to my face, but to the heart of God.

Keep dreaming. Keep thinking. Keep creating. Who knows what you will come up with.

What is the best creation or invention that you have seen someone come up with lately? If it’s a website, youtube clip, or picture let’s see them!

~Peter

In Faith in Real Life

Carry the Conversation

July 27, 2009 2 Comments

It was a great privilege for me to be able to speak at all three of our church services yesterday. It started with the 9:00 and motored through the 10:30 and finished up with the 5! A big thank you to Pastor Chris for giving me the opportunity to speak and to each person there yesterday…

As you know, we finished our teaching series 19.12. We have been working through this at the Five and we were able to share this last portion with the rest of the church yesterday. So, here are some of your comments and your questions… Remember, it isn’t all about my answer… it is about our conversation! So join in! Let’s go…

1. A church is a place but the Church is everywhere. A bank is just a building unless there is money tellers and bankers. A hospital is only a building unless there are doctors, patients, and medical supplies. And similarly a Church is just a church unless Christians are there. Some churches aren’t Churches and some buildings that aren’t churches can be a Church.

~good thought! I think the part I like best is that some buildings that aren’t set up as churches can be used as some of the greatest Church’s. God can use anyone and anything. The Church is God’s people… He said I will build my Church! I am so incredibly for the Church! I can’t wait to see the Church grow into what God has intended for us…

2. Hebrews 12:27 connects to me with each person’s faith. If a person’s faith cannot be shaken, it will remain. Also, nice use of the MFUGE video. That was exactly what I was thinking when I saw the sermon title.

~You are right on the money… the only thing that will remain is our faith! Cling to it!

3. I really have tried many times to witness Jesus to people but they usually will tell me whatever and won’t listen. I want them to know Jesus but what are some ways to witness without trying to seem like I’m forcing it on them? Because most people I try to witness to will just say that I am just accusing them!

~First off, there are many ways that you can witness to people. I’ve used everything from the gospel braclet, evangecube’s, Four Spiritual laws, Roman’s Road, tracts, stories, situations, etc… Sometimes one of the greatest tools to use in witnessing is your convictions! Just stand on what you believe to be right, and hold firm to that. People will look at you and ask you why you choose not to curse, or drink under age, or smoke, or whatever the circumstance may be. When you set yourself apart from the world it makes you stand out. People will notice! Use the opportunities that arise to have a conversation. Build that relationship… Honestly and genuinely care for the individual. Shower them in love, and be compassionate and gracious towards them!

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the Light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

4. Doesn’t the text say that you have come and not you have been called?

Yes, you are correct!

~Peter

In Uncategorized

Carry The Conversation

June 22, 2009 2 Comments

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Last night was another great evening at the Five. I’m glad that you were there. It really has been great getting together each week… You can keep on praying for the ministry of the Five here at FBC.

Last night I gave a challenge for Dad’s to step up there game in watching out and protecting their children from sin. However it doesn’t just apply to us as Dad’s. There is a universal call to every man woman, teen and child to guard their heart and mind from sin! We were in 1 Samuel and the story found there reminds us about how serious sin is to God. It is not something to mess around with and take lightly.

On to the questions…

1. Why do you think that God needed to punish the whole house of Eli and not just Eli and his sons?

I think that God needed to punish the whole house of Eli because it seems to me that the whole house of Eli was living in sin. It wasn’t just the boys… It was everyone. Each one of us is responsible for our own actions. Eli was responsible to judge the nation of Israel and lead the nation in the direction that the Lord would have them go. He unfortunately was accused of putting his sons in front of God. The punishment that God chose we cannot explain. God’s ways are higher than our ways. The Bible says who can understand the mind of the Lord. What I can tell you is that God is a just and fair God. He would not have done something out of anger or high tempered emotions. This was necessary.

2. You mentioned a period when God killed those that mixed with the Moabites. I get that they were sinners, but can’t racists use that as an example to justify their actions?

First off, there is never any kind of justification for racism. The passage that I referenced last night was Numbers chapter 25 verses 1-5. This passage recognizes the fact that those that were killed from Israel were going to a neighboring nation and joining themselves to that nations gods and idols. They were worshiping false gods and that is unacceptable according to the Lord. This is yet again another example from remaining pure, staying away from sin.

This would be a very difficult passage to argue racism from. God does not require the life of those who do not declare Him God, it is the lives of those who know better and run and worship at the feet of false idols. God deals very seriously with our sin. Therefore so should we!

3. What constitutes a man?

This is a difficult question to answer. Each culture defines manhood in a different way. I am reminded of something very simple and insanely ridiculous to even be drawing a spiritual truth from, “Madagascar 2”. In that movie Alex the lion reunites with his family and has to go through a rite of passage ritual in order to be allowed into the pack. I know, that was just outlandish. However, all that to say each culture has an age that it is recognized when a boy enters into “manhood”. I don’t know that I can answer this question. I think however the real question that you should be asking is, “What types of things should I be doing as a man after God’s heart?”

4. The enemies of Israel often said to Israel “May your children be fatherless.” This was a statement not only of “I wish you were dead” but also recognizes the leadership role the dad has in the family and the community. It was like saying “May your family and community lose its rudder.”

What about single dads? Sometimes hearing about the role of fathers just heaps guilt onto single dads, especially if they sinned and caused the family to break and realized it later (often too late). What about the role of moms in supporting the dads – letting him take appropriate leadership, supporting him, etc.

Clearly each one of us makes mistakes. There is no doubt. Some of us will make mistakes that leave deafening marks in the lives of those around us. God has something called Grace and Forgiveness for that. From that point forward there is an incredible opportunity for each of us to do the best that we can with the time that we have to help make amends and build the bridges back in the lives of those that we’ve hurt. My point last night was not to inflict guilt or heap on regrets of should haves or would haves but to help each one of us as dads reflect on the responsibility that we have in the lives of our children.

I didn’t have an opportunity to speak to the moms supporting the dads… Yes this is a very touchy and time consuming issue of men being the leaders in their household.

My prayer is for dads both married and single to turn to God and seek God’s heart as they raise their children.

Whew! Well, you guys have some great thoughts… Let’s keep this conversation going! I love it!

~Peter

In Leadership & Calling

Carry the conversation

May 26, 2009 4 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZhsHsCuR5g&feature=channel_page]

As usual, here is the rundown from last night’s service. Honestly, Sunday night was kinda funky, huh? There were just so many crazy things happening. Sound issues, technical issues, and all kinds of strange things… I know that I was feeling like there was something going on under the radar… With that in mind, can I challenge you to keep praying for the Five? We would really appreciate your prayer…

So, we were picking up in the series Raw Worship, where we take a look at what happens when worship and life collide. We were in Psalm 130 last night and we were taking a look at what does it mean to worship God in and through the waiting? As always we look forward to and encourage questions/comments, here are this weeks…

You mentioned that you are tired of all the “smallness”, referring to what we wait for God to do. What encouragement and assurance do we give to those God calls to do the boring, unpopular, uncool, and truly small tasks?

This specific comment was made by me while we were discussing the concept of hoping in the Lord. What I was referring to was how I feel that we as the Church for the most part do not expect God to do incredible things. I think that instead what we expect from God is for Him to show up and do small things (as I mentioned); pay the mortgage, make sure that the budget is met… etc… See here’s what I mean… Why are we shocked when we hear stories about how God provides miraculously… As if this was like an unbelievable feat for God to provide? I mean honestly, this is the God of the universe that we are talking about! Why is the box that we think/allow God to operate in so stinkin small? When we read verses like 1 Cor. 2:7-9, or Eph. 3:20. do we go, Man God is huge, or do we say, eh, God is pretty powerful I guess. I realize that we can’t comprehend how HUGE God is… so, why then do we make Him so small? Whew, I better stop here and actually answer the question before I turn this into a book…

The seemingly “small” tasks that we have the privilege to be responsible for are not just that: small and insignificant. Those types of tasks may be uncool, unpopular, and even monotonously boring. We would be sorely mistaken if we viewed God’s calling on our lives to be small and insignificant. The gifts and talents that God uniquely gives each one of us are given to us in order that we can bring honor to God, and cause others to see God for who He is… I don’t care if you are filling communion cups, or cutting the church lawn… Your role in this huge organization that God has established; The Church, is not insignificant. You are vitally needed. Paul was a hero for this cause… watch what he does here in Ephesians 4;

11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

To the one who feels marginalized, underused, unimportant, small, insignificant, negligible, frivolous, and peripheral: You are incredibly important. Your work may not be cutting edge, it may not be flashy and all that attention getting… In fact you may not be thanked or praised much, if at all. However, we work not for the approval of man. We work diligently, unswervingly, whole-heartedly dedicated to the cause of Christ! We sacrifice our time, efforts, talents, money, and everything else we have in order that we may see the Gospel go forward to just one more person. The part you play is vital in the ministry of the Gospel. Don’t you for one minute think that you are unimportant, expendable, or peripheral. Just because your task may be borin, unpopular, or uncool, I don’t believe for one minute that it is small. As a pastor I praise God for people like you. You are the types of people that allow me to do what I do. (Go do a study on Acts 6:1:7)

To the one who submitted this question: thank you! It is conversations like these that get me charged up to keep doing what I do, and to help equip others to keep doing what they do! It really is all about Jesus. It is about introducing more people to Him. We are all charged with that mission…

To those who have a public ministry, a flashy ministry, a lot of responsibility, get a lot of thanks because of the publicity of your position: Find three people today who are behind the scenes people; i.e. The counters, the janitors, the lawn maintenance guy, the one who changes the sign out front, the one who folds and stuffs the worship guide… THANK THEM FOR WHAT THEY DO! CHANCES ARE YOU WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DO WHAT YOU DO IF IT WASN’T FOR WHAT THEY DO!

Who do you see in your church that is a great example of an unnoticed servant? Share their story! Click on the comment button below and let it rip… Let’s encourage one another…

Thankful for those behind the scenes people…

~Peter

In Uncategorized

Carry the conversation

May 19, 2009 No Comments

Well as promised, we have some answers to some of your questions…

Why r we blessed?

The Israelites, the priests and the God-fearers (Psalm 115:8-11) were blessed because they chose to put their trust in God. They trusted God to save them, to be their help, to be their shield. We are blessed when (because) we choose not to have any idols (Psalm 115:4-7). We are blessed when (because) we choose to remind others of the many ways that God has worked in our lives, and in so doing we tell them that we serve an awesome God.

In Psalm 115 what indicates the purpose?

The purpose of God blessing us is so that we will in turn be a blessing to others. When God blesses us, He expects that we will in response to His blessing, then bless the next generation by reminding them of how God has specifically blessed us. That’s why we need to build altars, stones of remembrance. We need to creatively and personally decide what those altars will look like.

Who r the People watching the Israelites? (Nations)

The people watching the Israelites were the nations who were the neighbors of Israel. At that time they were the Moabites, the Edomites, the Syrians, the Egyptians, the Ammonites, the Canaanites, etc. etc.

Who R the nations 2 Day?

The “nations” for us are all the people within our sphere of influence who we have contact with in our day-to-day existence. The nations for us are all the people around us (in our sphere of influence) who do not yet have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Keep the questions coming… Let’s carry the conversation beyond just Sunday Night!

~Peter

In Uncategorized

Carry the Conversation…

May 11, 2009 2 Comments

This week was definitely one to remember. I have never shared the platform with a sheep before! Last night was really a great time. I hope that you also had fun.

If you weren’t able to make the Five this week, jump over here and check out the podcast. Here are a couple pictures for you to enjoy too! I know that there are some really good ones taken by some of you, all you cell-photogs… If you have some photo’s to put up, try adding them over at the facebook page for the Five.

So, there was only one question this week… and just one comment…

1. Peter you are so crazy!

Guilty as charged!

2. Is the sheep going to wear a V-Neck next week?

Next week, sadly the sheep will be at a different location. Plus sheep don’t wear clothes! Come on man… You know better than that!

I love being able to spend time with all you guys on Sunday Nights!

~Peter

In Uncategorized

Carry the conversation

April 22, 2009 1 Comment

SO, I started this post on Monday, and then Monday went by like nobodies business. Tuesday was spent in travel and such, so here I am on wednesday writing from something that happened Sunday… this is a problem! Let’s go…

I’m excited for this one… I have a feeling that this is going to be an exciting conversation… who knows, maybe not. As usual, let’s pick up the monday/tuesday conversation. Head over here, and check out the podcast if you weren’t able to make it Sunday night.

Questions:

Wouldn’t it be better for us not to have a plan at all?

The simple answer to this question is yes! The more complicated answer is Yes… it is just extremely difficult to not have a plan. I have met few people who don’t have some sort of plan for how life should, or will turn out. The best answer is to live a life that is completely surrendered to God. Start today. Make small changes in your life that allow you to live completely surrendered to God. Let’s ask a question here: What things have you done/changed in your life which allows you to live a more surrendered life?

What’s with the V-neck?

Okay, so this is an easy one… First off, you’ll be wearing one before summer is peaced out of here… So just you rest easy my young friend. But… at the same time, the Vneck has been a work in progress. I remember the first time I donned the Vneck. I felt like I was doing something wrong. Now it just feels right… (okay, so if you and I are just becoming friends, I need to help you out… there was some serious sarcasm going on in that last sentence…)

Okay, here’s another reason for the Vneck… This is incredible! Why didn’t I think of this one???

Don’t worry friends, this isn’t the last of the Vneck. You’ll see more of that around these parts…

~Peter

In Faith in Real Life

April 15, 2009 1 Comment

This morning I came across this verse in Acts, one which I am familiar with yet it struck me differently today… “And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the eart, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist,” Acts 17:26-28

Have you ever been in the dark? I mean the absolute dark. As in the absence of any light? One time I think I can honestly say I was in the dark. We went on a field trip when I was in 6th grade to Crystal Cave Pa. Apparently this is “Pennsylvania’s Greatest Wonder”. Anyway, it was cool, but the best part was when they took you in the cave and shut the lights off. And I mean all of the lights. It was pitch black, dark, like devoid of any light DARK! I can remember feeling infinitely small, and even remotely scared. I couldn’t see. I wouldn’t be able to find my way out, etc… It was a strange feeling. I would have done anything to find the light, had I not known that the guide was trustworthy enough to turn the lights back on… (Which he was…)

Back to Acts… Paul is writing here that we are to search for God, and to find Him. I like the wording that the New American Standard Bible uses, “that they might grope for Him and find Him.” That totally carries some great mental pictures. Can’t you just picture someone who is searching for something but can’t find it? Jesus calls Himself the light of the world. Things are so much better in the light then in the dark. Shouldn’t we do everything we can to get back into the light? {See Ephesians 5:6-16}

What prevents you from finding God? I don’t mean finding God as in for the first time… I mean what prevents you from getting on your knees every day and groping for more of God… searching and seeking and earnestly looking to find out more about Him?

on my knees looking…

~Peter

In Uncategorized

Carry The Conversation- Plan B: Unknown Stories

March 23, 2009 No Comments

Last night we started a new teaching series at the five, Plan B. Honestly I sit here and I am overwhelmed and excited by it all at the same time. I feel like it is so huge of a thought to wrap our minds around that it is going to be hard for me to do it justice, yet I am thrilled to be able to help spur on thought, and discussion, which hopefully will lead to healing and restoration. Here’s the video that we used to open up our teaching time.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GdGM-p9ckM]

I remembered to push the conversation through text button last night, and we did get a few questions… So, let’s carry the conversation over…

1. Why did God choose to send Elijah to Zarephath?

God moved Elijah away from the brook for one very simple reason. The brook wasn’t there anymore. It had dried up, and it was non existent. So, God moved him to Zarephath. I can’t find any direct line of reasoning for why God chose Zarephath out of all the towns in the world to send Elijah to. What’s ironic is that God sent Elijah to a Phoenician town while He was fleeing from the promoter of a Phoenician pagan theological system.

2. What is the difference between a Baptist and a NonDenominational Church? Don’t we all worship the same God?

The difference’s between a Baptist Church and a NonDenominational Church are often very small. It generally tends to come down to how do you do certain things. As in, what is the method, or tradition, that you use in order to serve communion. There are any number of examples that I could give. However, to answer your question plainly, there is not much of a difference between a Baptist Church and a Bible believing NonDenominational church. In the case of a Bible believing NonDenominational church, yes, we do worship the same God.

The other youth group I go to is kinda dried out, what can I or the group do to try and “moisten” our hearts?

This is a great question. You could very seriously replace the word youth group with the word church and apply this to any situation inside of the body of Christ. From time to time, we will go through seasons of “dryness”; meaning, we won’t be in as close communion with God. We will go through this personally as well as corporately. Why is it that some church’s are booming today, but 3 years from now there is a few faithful attenders, but the boom has gotten up and busted? I’m sure that there is no easy answer to this. However, the number one thing that you can do is pray and ask God to show you ways that you can help draw the group/church back into that experience and that fellowship. A great book to read for this is “It” by Craig Groeschel. Here’s a link to a video done by Craig, talking about the book.

Some of the things that you can be doing is by cultivating an environment where people are known and cared for. This is something that we try and do at the Five. I think another thing you can do is to make sure that what is being discussed and what is being taught are things that are relevant and important to today. Meaning, what am I going to do with what I just heard… If I can’t do something with it today, or tonight when I get home, than…. I’m not sure it really matters. Unfortunately that is the attitude that we too often face.

The best thing you can do is to pray for your group, your church, and your pastor!

Thanks for the questions… Keep em coming!

~Peter