Giving Thanks In All Circumstances

TCC • November 26, 2020

I’m thankful for you. Did you know that you are a blessing to me? Each of you in your own way add meaning and joy to my life. Kim and I just prepared a Thanksgiving video for you that I hope you have watched. If not, we hope you will watch it soon because we talked about the power of gratitude that helps us lift our eyes off the difficulties of life that can cause us to grumble.


We shared a concept from a book by neurologist Rick Hansen where he describes our brains as either Velcro or Teflon. Our natural tendency (we all have this) is for negative experiences, thoughts, words and actions to stick like Velcro to our brains. They’re hard to get unstuck. On the other hand, the positive or good events of our lives slip off our brains like an egg does in a frying pan coated with Teflon. Therefore, we have to act forcefully to pull the negative thoughts from our brains and at the same time purposefully act to stop the positive thoughts from slipping right out of our memories after we experience them.


Gratitude is the key to doing both. As I focus on the good, the bad is released. As I focus on the good, I can slow its departure from my brain and hopefully even lodge it there. Wow, that’s a lot of head stuff, and God didn’t leave us with just information about gratitude… He shows us how to make it work. In 1 Thessalonians 5 we find one of the key biblical commands concerning gratitude. Paul wrote, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I love that verse, but it’s not easy to live out in our daily lives – especially in this COVID logjam we’ve been stuck in since March.


I want to invite you to join me on a 30-day gratitude challenge beginning today, Thanksgiving, and ending on Christmas day. My plan is to spend five minutes each morning and five minutes each evening for the next 30 days expressing my gratitude to God for His blessings in my life. Since gratitude is the seedbed for joy, I want to plant as many seeds as possible and hopefully reap the benefits of expressing gratitude for 30 days. I want to begin the practice of unsticking the negative thoughts and making the positive ones stick through expressing gratitude.


Will you join me in this 30-day gratitude experiment? Here are a couple of suggestions on how to make this work for you and your family. Use a journal that you dedicate as your gratitude journal. Use a daily/monthly planner and write what you’re thankful for. Use a gratitude jar – a mason jar works great – and place it on your table with scraps of paper so the entire family can join in on this gratitude adventure. Whatever you do, make sure it’s simple and easy and memorable. Maybe it would help you, and others, if you posted your gratitude to your social media platform.


After Christmas, I’ll ask you if the gratitude experiment made a difference in your attitude, joy, contentment, peace, and overall satisfaction. Let’s increase our joy together. Just make sure that when you post about gratitude that you use #TCC30DayGratitudeExperiment. Gratitude reminds us of how we’ve been blessed and generates the emotional inertia to bless others.


I hope you’ll go to our website and look at our Holiday Serve Opportunities to see how you can bless others during this holiday season. You’ll discover how you can bless a family by making a Christmas basket. You can bless an At-Risk Student by filling a Christmas stocking. You can serve your neighbors through intentional acts of kindness. You can donate to help Interfaith Food Ministry supply meals to resource-challenged families. You can give generously to our annual Year-End Gift fund so that our church is prepared to pivot to meet new needs in the upcoming year. Whatever you do, your generosity will allow God to be seen through your actions as you spread the love of Jesus to our community.


We begin Advent this Sunday. I’m so thrilled at this opportunity to walk through this tradition with you. When we tap into the meaningful expressions handed down through the generations, we are reminded that God is faithful to His people to deliver His message of hope and love to the world. We will begin our Advent series which is called “A Messy Christmas,” to acknowledge the mess we’re experiencing together in this COVID-19 Christmas season.


Our young families are entering into this experience through the Advent Family Wreath craft. We had planned on having this as an onsite activity, but we’ve now moved it to an "At Home" event. Please call our Children’s Ministry staff at the church office, and they’ll be glad to serve you by making your own at-home Advent kit.


During this time when it’s impossible for us to be on campus together, please make sure to stay engaged online. Let me encourage you to keep your Sunday rhythms by watching the service live at either 9:00 or 11:00am. I believe that will help you stay disciplined as we walk this road of COVID restrictions together. 

 

If you need, you can watch the current service or any archived service on demand any time you want right from our website or APP. Here’s an idea: When you’re watching online, please invite your friends to join you. If you haven’t downloaded the TCC APP, just go to the APP store and search for TCC GRASS VALLEY and download it today. You can watch the service right from your device.  

  

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

Secure in the Spirit + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • September 12, 2025
Last week, we saw how Jesus’ ministry began with the Father’s blessing and identity spoken over Him . But what came next? Rejection, criticism, and pressure to compromise or conform at every turn. How did Jesus stand strong when others doubted, opposed, or even tried to silence Him ? He was secure in His Father’s love and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This Sunday, we’ll look at what it means to live with that same Spirit-filled confidence, rooted in God’s voice and empowered by His presence, not the world’s opinions. 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.

Let’s Take a Walk With Jesus + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • September 5, 2025
This Sunday we’re kicking off a new series, Walking With Jesus . Together, we’ll journey through Luke’s Gospel and learn how Jesus stayed rooted in the Father’s love, stood firm against pressure, and never lost sight of what mattered most. Our journey will begin where His public ministry began, grounded in identity, love, and blessing from the Father. That secure foundation shaped everything Jesus did, and it’s the same foundation we desperately need today. I hope you’ll join us as we take the first step in Walking With Jesus . 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.

Don’t Just Go to Church — Be the Church + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • August 29, 2025
It’s so easy to think of church as a place we go for 70 minutes on Sunday. But Jesus had something far bigger in mind. The church isn’t a building or a service; it’s people. WE are the church. We comprise this brand-new movement that Jesus came to start and it’s a movement that moves beyond a building and permeates every area in our community. When you step into your school, workplace, neighborhood, or family, you bring the presence of Jesus with you.  This Sunday we’ll wrap up our Brand: New series by exploring what it means to live as the church everywhere we go and how each of us has a unique role to play in God’s mission. 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.

The Way Up is Down + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • August 22, 2025
Have you ever noticed how the world works? The ones on top call the shots, set the rules, and expect others to fall in line. And deep down, we tend to think that’s how change happens, by overpowering those who oppose us. Jesus had a different idea. He looked His disciples in the eye and said, “Not so with you.” True leadership isn’t about getting your way; it’s about giving yourself away. This Sunday, we’ll explore what it means to lead, serve, and live in a way that flips the world’s expectations upside down. Take the Next Step: If you’re ready to go deeper in your relationship with Jesus and connect more with our church community, join us after 2nd service for Growth Path classes. This is your chance to learn, grow, and discover how you can make a difference where you are. Click here to learn more. 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 Love Require of Me? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • August 15, 2025
This week we continue our Brand: New series with a question that can reshape every relationship, every decision, and every interaction you have: What does love require of me? Jesus replaced rule-keeping religion with something far simpler, yet far more demanding. He taught that our devotion to God is best demonstrated by the way we treat the people around us, especially those who are hardest to love. Join us Sunday as we explore how to live out this radical, world-changing way of love. Then, join us Sunday afternoon from 4:00-7:30 for our annual Picnic at the Park & Baptisms at Pioneer Park in Nevada City. Our cooking team will be grilling chicken and hot dogs for everyone. We just ask that you bring either an app, salad, or dessert to share. Then at 7:00 we’ll head over to the Pioneer Park pool to cheer on those taking the next step in their faith journey through baptism. You can find out more details about the picnic and baptisms 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.

What’s Love Got to Do With It? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • August 8, 2025
This weekend, we continue our series Brand: Ne w with a look at how Jesus launched a movement unlike anything the world had seen before. The night before His crucifixion, Jesus gave a defining command: "Love one another... By this, everyone will know that you are My disciples." John 13:34–35 This wasn’t just another rule — it was the foundation of a brand-new way of living. Early believers embraced this wholeheartedly, building a community marked by generosity, grace, and sacrificial love that even the unbelieving world couldn’t ignore. But over time, the Church drifted back toward an old, rule-based, temple-model mindset — sacred places, sacred people, sacred texts in the hands of a select few. Power replaced love, belief trumped behavior, and this simple command of Jesus got buried under layers of religion. This Sunday, we’ll explore how we can reject the temple model in our own lives and return to the movement Jesus intended, one where relationship replaces religion, love outweighs law, and people matter more than places. 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.

Brand: New – Why the Old Way No Longer Works + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • August 1, 2025
This weekend, we’re continuing our Brand: New series by looking at why the “Temple Model” of religion, with all its rules, rituals, and spiritual scorecards, is incompatible with the brand-new covenant of grace Jesus came to give us. Paul says it best in Galatians 5: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. ” But for many of us, letting go of old ways of earning God’s love feels almost impossible. We like the idea of grace… but we still want to “pay what we can.” This Sunday, we’ll see why Jesus’ new covenant isn’t just an upgrade to the old system. It’s a completely different way of life. Bring a friend and join us as we discover how freeing and powerful this brand-new movement really is. 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.

The Benefit of Doubt and a Chance to Make a Difference + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • July 18, 2025
This Sunday, we wrap up our Beyond Doubt series, not because the questions have run out, but because they never will. Doubt isn’t a detour from faith; it’s part of the path. So we’ll end where we began: exploring how our honest questions can actually lead to deeper trust in God. We’ll look at one of the psalms of lament and discover how engaging our doubts can strengthen a resilient, grounded faith. Also, don’t forget that our Hope for Nevada County Backpack Giveaway is just one week away! We’re excited to bless local families with the tools their kids need to start school strong, but we’re still in need of several key supplies: • 1" binders • 70-page spiral notebooks • Pencils (both regular and mechanical) • Colored pencils • Glue sticks • Scissors • Highlighters Please choose one or more items, purchase multiples of them and bring them with you to church on Sunday or have them shipped directly to the church. Click here to find out more about the event. Thank you for being a church that shows up for our community in real, practical ways. 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.

Living on a Prayer + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • July 11, 2025
Prayer. It’s something many of us struggle with and long to understand better. What is it really for? Does it actually change anything? And how do we pray when we’re not sure what to say? This Sunday, as part of our Beyond Doubt series, I’ll be joined by Pastor Dan Prout, who heads the California Prayer Coalition. Dan has spent decades leading prayer efforts in our region and across the state, and I can’t think of a better guide to help us wrestle with some of our biggest questions about prayer, including, “Does prayer change God’s mind?” and “If God already knows what’s going to happen, why should we pray at all?” I hope you’ll join us for this honest, encouraging, and practical conversation. And if it leaves you wanting more, Dan will also be leading this week’s Grow University session to help you take the next step in your prayer life. Click here for details on that midweek conversation. Finally, we are two weeks away from Hope for Nevada County, our countywide back-to-school effort to help struggling families prepare for the start of the school year. We have all the backpacks, but what we really need are back-to-school supplies to fill those backpacks: pencils, mechanical pencils, glue sticks, binder paper, pens, 2-pocket folders, 1" binders, 70-page spiral notebooks, colored markers or pencils, scissors, dry erase markers, and highlighters. You can purchase multiples of one of these items and drop them off at church by Sunday, July 20 or just have them shipped directly to the church. Click here to find out more about the event. 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.
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