Do Not Worry + Sunday Morning Resources

TCC • August 13, 2021

“Do Not Worry.” Those words Jesus spoke have been floating around my brain all week. Aren’t they a challenge? I want you to know that when I first heard the word “cancer” in reference to me, my gut reaction was to begin to think of all the possible outcomes – in other words, I began to worry. As I sat on Sunday and listened as Kimberly unpacked these words from Jesus, I was inspired by her brave courage and insights that she has come by through consistent effort. I’ve been able to observe her close-up in the past few weeks as she has wavered back and forth between trust and worry. I think that’s an ordinary reality for many of us. It’s hard not to worry. It’s challenging to put aside our concerns and keep them from strangling the life out of us. I want to encourage you to listen to her message if you happened to miss it.

However, I’m not suggesting that you put on a happy face and deny your feelings. Kim made it clear that acknowledging our feelings is the beginning of healing. When we can admit how we feel to a safe person and receive empathy, we can discover a hope available to us that we may not have realized we have available. This is the power of being part of a Community Group of people who care. Kimberly and I have found our Community Group to boost our spirits during this cancer classroom. I know many groups will be restarting the week of September 12. I hope you will use this season as a time to start forming relationships, so you have an anchor to hold you firmly when life takes a crooked turn.

One of the ways to fight the battle against worry is to engage in praise and gratitude. I love the song by Michael W. Smith called Fighting My Battles. Here is how it goes: “The Word says, ‘For the spirit of heaviness put on the garment of praise.’ That's how we fight our battles. This is how I fight my battles. It may look like I'm surrounded but I'm surrounded by You.” We fight our battles against worry and fear through praise.

Paul said it this way in Philippians 4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” That’s the key. I fight my battles through praise and prayer, and God blesses me with peace of mind. Folks, that’s how I’m fighting my battle every day of this cancer journey. As Kimberly reminded us on Sunday, “God’s in charge, and we can rest in His providence.” Will you please let me know if these thoughts help you?

Now that I’ve received my Chemo/Radiation Diploma, I’m ready to move out of that classroom and forward in my journey toward healing. I am now making plans to begin the trek to UCSF and surgery. I have a consultation on August 25, which I hope will include a surgery schedule. At this point, I don’t know when that will be, but I’ll keep you updated. I love you.

I’m excited that we get to celebrate NEW LIFE as several people express their faith in Jesus through BAPTISM on August 22. Baptism is a time when you go public for Jesus as you take this step of identification and intimacy with Him. If you’ve never been baptized after you said “YES” to Jesus, please pray about this opportunity for you. Then, check it out and register on our website.

GROWTH PATH is August 22. We’ve recently mentioned that over 40 families have moved out of Nevada County since COVID began. We will miss these people immensely. At the same time, several families have discovered Twin Cities and have started regularly attending either in person or online. Growth Path is a great time to find out more about our church and how you can fit in here. We all need a place where we can know and be known, love and be loved, serve and be served, and celebrate and be celebrated. I hope you’ll go to our website and register to attend the class that fits you best.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT will be a fantastic opportunity for women of every age to gather together, celebrate, and have a fun time! Here are important details. This fantastic evening will be Friday, August 27 from 6:30-8:30pm. Make sure to register soon because it’s just around the corner. What a great way to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of something new.

The next DRIVE-THRU FOOD DRIVE collection day to support Interfaith Food Ministry is Friday, August 27, from 8:00-10:30am. Please bring your non-perishable foods to the church, and we’ll make sure all the food gets delivered to Interfaith. This is a huge help to the resource-challenged in our community. Please look for more information coming soon about bringing specific items to help Hospitality House.

SUNDAY, we will move into a section of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus talks about a very touchy subject for those of us in our cultural season. He says, “Do not judge…” These words get thrown around frequently in a way that makes it seem impossible to live with discernment or disagreement with the position of others. That’s not what Jesus meant for those listening in His day or in ours, either. I’m excited to dig into these words on Sunday as we talk about Following the Way of Discernment.

Here are the links you’ll need to be fully prepared for Sunday’s Service:

Joyfully living everyday life on mission in intimacy with Jesus and others,

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Trusting Jesus in Uncertainty & Fall Family Festival + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • October 30, 2026

This Saturday: Fall Family Festival 5-8pm! This Saturday night, October 31, we’re opening our campus to the community for one of our largest outreaches of the year: our Fall Family Festival! On a night often associated with darkness, we have an opportunity to offer something different — a safe, welcoming evening where families can come together, kids can have a blast, and our community can experience the love of Jesus in a tangible way. This is a wonderful opportunity to invite your friends, neighbors, and coworkers with young families to experience the warmth and hospitality of our church family. And if you’re part of TCC, we’d love for you to do more than attend. Come serve! Events like this are only possible because people generously give their time to bless our community. Whether you’re helping behind the scenes or welcoming families as they arrive, you can make a difference. Click here for more info. This Sunday: Trusting Jesus in Uncertainty It’s easy to trust God when life is going according to plan. But what happens when the future is uncertain, circumstances are beyond our control, and even our best efforts to do the right thing seem to make life more difficult? How do we hold on to faith when fear and uncertainty threaten to overwhelm us? This Sunday, as we continue through the book of Acts, we’ll follow Paul on his difficult journey to Jerusalem and wrestle with a question that touches every one of us: What does it really mean to trust Jesus when we don’t know what tomorrow will bring? Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday,

A Message to the Watchmen + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • October 23, 2026

Think about the people whose lives intersect with yours: your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, even people you encounter in the ordinary rhythms of life. Some of them may be walking through difficult circumstances, wrestling with questions about faith, or quietly drifting away from God. What if God has placed you in their lives for a reason? What if you have a responsibility toward them that goes beyond simply being a good friend, neighbor, or coworker? This weekend, as we continue through Acts, we’ll listen in on Paul’s emotional farewell to some people he had poured years of his life into. His words are deeply personal, surprisingly challenging, and raise some important questions about the responsibility we have toward the people God has placed in our lives. I believe this is a message every follower of Jesus needs to hear, and I hope you’ll join us! Church Work Day | Saturday, 9:00am–noon Our Fall Family Festival is just around the corner, and we’re getting ready to welcome thousands of our neighbors! We could use your help sprucing up the church property this Saturday from 9:00am to noon. Bring a pair of work gloves and a willingness to pitch in. Whether you can help for an hour or the whole morning, we’d love to have you join us! Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday,

In ________ We Trust + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • October 16, 2026

We all want a little security in life. We work hard, save what we can, plan for the future, and do our best to protect the things that matter most to us. And there’s nothing wrong with any of that. But have you ever stopped to consider just how much of your peace depends on things going according to plan? It’s easy to say we trust God when life is comfortable. But what happens when something we depend on becomes uncertain, or when following Jesus threatens something we’ve worked hard to build? This Sunday, as we continue through Acts 19, we’ll encounter some people who were forced to wrestle with that very question. And I suspect their story will challenge us to examine our own hearts as well. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday,

Why Trying Harder Isn’t Working + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • October 9, 2026

Have you ever found yourself frustrated because, no matter how hard you try, you keep falling into the same old patterns? Maybe you’ve made promises to yourself, set new goals, or even asked God to help you change, only to find yourself right back where you started. What if the problem isn’t that you’re not trying hard enough? This weekend, as we continue our journey through Acts, we’ll discover something about the Christian life that’s easy to overlook, but makes all the difference. And if you’ve ever wondered why lasting change seems so difficult, I think you’ll find this passage particularly relevant. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday,

Working Through Discouragement + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • October 2, 2026

Paul always seems almost superhuman. He gets beaten, threatened, run out of town, and somehow just keeps going. But when he arrives in Corinth in Acts 18, we get a glimpse of something we don’t often associate with Paul: fear and discouragement. After everything he’s been through, it appears even Paul may be wondering how much more he has in him. Then Jesus meets him in the middle of that discouragement and gives him a promise that gives Paul the encouragement he needs to keep going. This weekend, we’ll look at what Jesus says to Paul in that moment, and why that same promise still matters when we’re tired, discouraged, or unsure we have much left in the tank. I hope you’ll join us Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday,

Contempt or Compassion? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • September 25, 2026

This weekend, as we continue our journey through Acts, Paul steps into a city filled with competing ideas, misplaced worship and people searching for something more. Sound familiar? What stands out isn’t just what Paul says, but how he responds to people whose beliefs deeply trouble him. He doesn’t mock them, avoid them, or write them off. He moves toward them with compassion, listens carefully, finds common ground, and points them toward Jesus. That raises a challenging question for us: When we see people looking for hope in all the wrong places, does our conviction move us toward them or tempt us to look down on them? Paul shows us how to hold firmly to truth without losing compassion for the people we’re trying to reach. I’m looking forward to unpacking that together this weekend. Drive-Thru Food Drive — Today, 8:00–10:30am Today we have a simple opportunity to help combat hunger right here in Nevada County. Bring non-perishable food to the church anytime between 8:00 and 10:30am for our Drive-Thru Food Drive. Find more information here . Missed One Church, One Mission? Last week, churches from across Nevada County gathered to worship, pray and consider what God can do when His Church serves together. If you weren’t able to join us, you can watch the gathering here . Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday,

Are You Listening? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • September 18, 2026

This weekend we’re continuing through Acts 16, where Paul, Silas and Timothy discover that following the Holy Spirit doesn’t always mean going where you planned to go. The Spirit speaks in different ways, and sometimes what He says isn’t what we expected or wanted to hear. So how do we learn to recognize His voice? How do we discern what He’s saying? And when He speaks, how do we respond in the way of Jesus rather than simply reacting out of our flesh? That’s where we’re headed this weekend. I hope you’ll join us! One Church, One Mission — Tonight at 6:30pm @ First Baptist Church, Grass Valley I hope you’ll join me and our brothers and sisters from across Nevada County tonight for One Church, One Mission . This will be an opportunity for us to dream about what God can do in and through His Church when we stop competing against one another and start uniting around our shared faith and calling. I’m excited to get to be a part of this, and I hope you’ll join us tonight at 6:30pm at First Baptist Church in Grass Valley . I’d love to see you there! Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday,

What Does Following Jesus Cost? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • September 11, 2026

Last week, we were reminded that Jesus is enough. You don’t have to earn God’s love, prove yourself worthy, or clean yourself up in order to belong. This truth brings incredible freedom. But freedom in Christ doesn’t mean we can simply do whatever we want. Jesus set us free so that we can follow Him, and sometimes following Him costs us things we value. Eventually, following Jesus will collide with something we don’t want to surrender. This weekend, as we continue through Acts, we’ll wrestle with a question every believer has to answer for themselves: How far am I willing to follow Jesus when obedience becomes costly? Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday,

Is Jesus Really Enough? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • September 4, 2026

Last Sunday, we gathered as a church family for our All-Church Picnic and had the privilege of celebrating 68 brothers and sisters as they went public with their faith through baptism! Sixty-eight stories. Sixty-eight eternities forever changed. Sixty-eight people declaring that they belong to Jesus. I’m still smiling thinking about it. And in a beautiful way, that celebration sets us up perfectly for where we’re headed this Sunday, where we’ll grapple with the question: Is Jesus really enough? Most of us know the right answer. Of course He is! But if we’re not careful, we can unintentionally add things to our faith that God never intended. The early church grappled with this exact question in Acts 15, and the answer they arrived at was wonderfully simple and incredibly freeing. Here are some helpful resources to get you ready for the weekend: Message Notes and Study Guide Weekly Spotify Playlist Children's Ministry Student Ministry See you Sunday,