My heart sunk last week as I watched the explosive conduct from the group of protestors at the United States Capitol building. I sat stunned as I watched what seemed to be images from some action movie because inside, I kept thinking, “This is not real. This can’t be happening.” But as we all know it was real, and it did happen.

One question that keeps nagging at me is “Why?” Why was this the action chosen by a group of people to demonstrate their displeasure over the results of the 2020 election? How could anyone think that this was a responsible way to act? Why did lives have to be lost, property destroyed, and an institution that represents our very freedom have to be violated? I am not smart enough to express an answer to that question, but I have an answer that I don’t believe will surprise you if you know me well.

Here’s my thought: The why is some people believe that the acquisition and control of power is the only way to protect their rights or status or cause. What we saw was a group of people who believe that the only way to control is through chaos and destruction. Inside, I hope to believe that no one intended loss of life, but the wanton disregard for the value of our constitution and our institutions showed that human life had little value either.

The next question I have is “How?” How do we move forward? Well, this is where you get to see how simple I really am. Kim and I just finished shooting our weekly devotional. I made a point to show the two bracelets I wear. If you’re observant, you can see them each week as you watch our services online.

The blue one is a reminder that I want my life to stand out in a way that people see Jesus through the way I respond and react to life. I want my life to make much of the Savior who gave His life for me and made it possible for me to enter into the Kingdom of God’s sovereign will. I want people to know Jesus and not be distracted by my own pride or agenda or reactions to life.

The blue band represents the Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. Am I there yet? Am I like this at all times? You know me well enough to be able to gently say, “No, Ron, you’re not.” Here’s the really cool thing though. I have heard from a solid and reputable source (Kimberly) that I’m much better than I used to be. I can accept that. God doesn’t want perfection from us. He just wants progress.

The green one is a reminder that God’s in charge no matter how things look, how I feel, or what others say. That, my friends, is reason for confidence in the face of all the chaos and challenging situations we see in our world. The beauty is that this bracelet reminds me that even though I do have responsibility in life, the truth is that the world does not ride on my shoulders. Do you ever feel the weight of the world? When I look around at the pain, chaos, confusion, division, etc., instead of feeling like I have to say the right thing or take the right action, I can rest in His sovereign control.

This is a lesson I’ve been learning now for a long time. I celebrate that the reason I can sleep without anxiety at night is that I’m learning to lean hard into God and His relational presence more and more each year. Once again, the one who knows me best (Kimberly) would agree that I am less anxious and more peaceful than I’ve ever been. During this time where we’ve walked through the COVID pandemic, I’ve actually been able to resist (well at least most of time) taking the world on my shoulders.

Those are two helpful and active ways for us to move forward: To love like Jesus as we represent Him well, and to trust in God as we face the uncertainty before us. I pray that we’ll all be lights in a dark world through our faith and obedience to Him.

As I write this, I realize that I’m giving you our leadership strategy during this COVID logjam. Our pastors have talked less about COVID and more about God. There’s a reason for that. We can focus on what’s wrong, or we can focus on Who’s in charge! Sure, we talk about the difficulties we face and make application to real life, but when we help you know God better, rely on the Holy Spirit more, and walk with Jesus consistently, then we feel like we’ve succeeded as your pastors and shepherds.

Our goal during COVID has been three-fold. We want to make much of Jesus and represent Him well. We want to be strengthened in our faith and grow in our confidence in God. And we want to be the best ambassadors for Jesus we can be to our neighbors. That means that our goal has been to work to shepherd the people who call Twin Cities Church home while showing our neighbors our care and concern for their lives, families, and businesses.

On Sunday, we continue our Walking the Way of Wisdom series. This week, we’ll take a look at what Proverbs has to say about Wisdom and JUSTICE. I chose this topic from Proverbs to coincide with Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. We’ll look at what Proverbs has to say about justice to all those who are oppressed, downtrodden, and feel discrimination.

You’ve probably heard that the Stay-At-Home order has been lifted for Nevada County. That means we’re going back to the Color Purple as far as restrictions go for churches. Please pray that we will make the best decisions about when to meet again in person. We know that there is a cost to people when we don’t meet. That’s real. There’s also a possible cost when we do meet together.

Let’s ask God to show us His will for our church. It’s been so awesome to receive continued support for the way we’ve handled this COVID season. At the same time, I want to acknowledge that some of you miss the gathering of the Body. I do, too. I am praying that you will do the work it takes to stay connected when connection seems so difficult.

During this time when we can’t meet in person, 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 and will help our church family feel your nearness and encouragement as we continue to “gather” in His name.  

If you like, 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,

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