Keystone Habits + Sunday Morning Resources

TCC • January 7, 2022

We began a new series on Sunday on HABITS: Small steps, big change. I’ve been anticipating this series since I picked up a copy of a great book called Atomic Habits by James Clear. I get to unpack some of the theory behind habits in my message this Sunday. One of the key ideas behind habits is that there are habits that we engage in, without thinking about what we’re doing, like brushing our teeth or shaving. That’s how our brain functions to keep us from being overwhelmed by all the decisions we would be making each day if everything we did was new and untried. At the same time, there are certain “keystone” habits that we must purposefully choose to add to our lives if we are going to reap the fantastic benefits they offer.

The top keystone habit based upon surveys done by thousands of Followers of Jesus is Bible Engagement. Specifically engaging with the Bible at least four days per week. Mark Hadley, our Spiritual Growth Pastor, laid a great foundation for us on Sunday with his practical message on developing a habit of Bible Engagement. His own personal work in spiritual formation that was visible inspires us all to grow.

The fruit and results of this habit are staggering. Bible Engagement draws us more deeply into relationship with God and others, grows our confidence in God’s promises, and empowers us to make steps with God and fulfill His Kingdom purposes in our lives. Honestly, you can’t know God without knowing His Word.

But Bible Engagement also helps us in areas that aren’t necessarily spiritual. Surveys show that Bible Engagement improves marriages, relationships, mental health, careers, finances, character, and decision making. The Center for Biblical Engagement released the results of their survey of over 400,000 people, and they discovered that people who engage with the Bible regularly are less lonely, have fewer destructive thoughts, have reduced anxiety, abuse alcohol and substances less, and were less likely to struggle with issues of self-worth and value.

You can see the great benefits of this habit. Do you want to have these things be true for you? Let me encourage you to watch Mark’s message from Sunday. Here’s a link to watch it. After that, log on to our website and look for our Bible Reading plans section or just click here. Once you’ve decided to engage with the Bible consider joining a Life Group, where you can be with others like yourself who are seeking to engage with the Bible. Also, make sure to be at church (or watch online when you can’t be here in person) and make sure to listen intently and seek to hear what God is saying to you in His Word. When we sing, listen for the references to Biblical concepts and quotes and engage in a new way. Finally, learn to pray God’s Word back to Him and ask Him to help you develop this keystone habit. As Mark said on Sunday, “When you engage with God’s Word, you align with God’s heart.”

Here are some upcoming opportunities to SHARE LIFE and SPREAD HOPE to our family and community.

FAMILY SNOW DAY – Saturday, January 8. A few weeks ago, it didn’t look like this even could happen because of a lack of snow. Well, now after our snowpocalypse, we have an abundance. Join our families for a fun day. Please follow all safety signs as you enjoy the snow.

LIFE GROUPS are open NOW for the winter/spring semester. Make sure to stop by the SHARE LIFE table in the lobby and let us help you find a group that fits you! You can also find out more on our website.

THRIVE UNLEASHED – January 14-15. This is an amazing winter retreat for junior high and high school students. See the website to register.

BABES WHO BRUNCH – January 15, 11:00am-12:30pm. This is for young women to gather for relationship, a potluck-style brunch, a speaker who focuses on a specific topic that will help you grow, or a fun activity or craft. Please bring a brunch dish to share with everyone. Free childcare will also be available. Get ready to eat some brunch, have some fun, learn, grow spiritually, and make new friends!

THIS SUNDAY, we continue our series HABITS: Small steps, big change. Folks, I’m excited to walk through some of the core ideas behind the power of habits this week. If you want to make changes in your life, please make sure to be with us in person this week as we talk about Healthy Habits.

Here are the links you’ll need to prepare for Sunday’s Service:

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

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How Service Helps Us Grow + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • March 13, 2026

This week we’ll continue our series on how we change by exploring something simple, but deeply transformative: service. It’s easy to think of serving as addressing needs or helping out, but serving doesn’t just bless others, it forms us. It reshapes our hearts, reorders our priorities, and trains us in the way of Jesus. If you’ve ever felt stuck in your growth, weary in your faith, or hungry for something more grounded than good intentions, this weekend will point us toward a path Jesus Himself walked. 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 Blessing of Suffering + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • March 6, 2026

Life doesn’t always go the way we hoped it would, does it? Disappointment, loss, conflict, unanswered prayers — suffering is a very real part of the human experience. But as painful as it is, our suffering isn’t necessarily meaningless, nor is it beyond God’s ability to use for good. This weekend, our founding pastor, Ron Thompson, will explore how God meets us in hardship and how the Holy Spirit can use even our trials to strengthen and shape us to become more like Jesus. I look forward to learning alongside you. Please remember that this Sunday is Daylight Savings time and we will be springing forward an hour. We’ll see you bright and early and we will have coffee ready. 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.

Made One, Made New + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • February 27, 2026

I’m still overwhelmed by last week’s baptism service, where 40 of our brothers and sisters in Christ went public with their faith. It was a powerful reminder of the transformative work God is doing in our church community. Speaking of community, this Sunday, Pastor Mark will be sharing about the transforming power of doing life in community. More often than not, the deepest change happens through relationship. God works in and through His people to heal, strengthen, and grow one another into the likeness of Jesus. This weekend will remind us why God intends for us to do life together in Christ. 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.

Spirit of the Loving God + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • February 20, 2026

This weekend we’re continuing to explore the role that the Holy Spirit plays in real, lasting transformation. We’ll talk about the core changes that God does within us, both in the moment of our surrender as well as the fruit of our continued surrender to His love. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to actually live in step with the Spirit day-to-day, not just on Sundays, this is a weekend to be here. We’ll also be celebrating baptisms in both services! Baptism weekends are, without a doubt, my favorite weekend and you won’t want to miss it. If you’ve been considering baptism, it’s not too late to participate. We have one more baptism class today (Friday) at noon at the church. Even if you can’t make that class, you can still get baptized. Just show up 30 minutes before either service and meet near the baptismal. I can’t wait to celebrate with you. 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 Spirit of Change + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • February 13, 2026

This weekend we’ll continue our How We Change series by exploring the person and power of the Holy Spirit — because if lasting change is possible, it won’t come from willpower alone. It will require God’s presence and power at work within us. This is such a broad (and often misunderstood) topic that I’m inviting my friend Dan Prout of Sierra Ministries to join me for a live conversation. Here are a few questions we’ll explore together: What does it actually mean to be “born of the Spirit” — not just improved, but remade from the inside out? What is an appropriate way for believers to think of and relate to the Holy Spirit? What does our “part” look like — how do we cooperate with the Spirit without slipping into either striving or passivity? And what can we do when we feel dry, stuck, or unchanged? If you’ve ever felt unsure, curious, skeptical, or hungry for more — this weekend is for you. 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 Born Again? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • February 6, 2026

In our current series, How We Change , we are learning how to take hold of the life that is really life. We’ve already explored the power of our thoughts and our practices, but many of us have felt the same discouraging pattern: we can hold it together for a while… and then something gives, willpower fades, and we find ourselves right back in the places we hoped we’d leave behind. So, this week we’re naming the tension we all feel: what if the change we long for requires more than willpower, insight, or better habits? According to Jesus, if we want to experience true and lasting change, we need to be “Born Again.” That is a loaded term in our culture, carrying decades of assumptions and conflicting ideas of what Jesus meant. So, this weekend, we will go back to the original conversation and seek to understand what Jesus meant when He said we need to be born again. If you’ve ever tried to “fix yourself” only to end up back at square one, then this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. 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.

Change Is Worked for, Not Wished For + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • January 23, 2026

The first step to true and lasting change is to change our minds, but it’s definitely not the only step. There’s a huge difference between thinking a new way and actually living a new way. That’s why information alone doesn’t transform us and why willpower alone tends to be insufficient to the task. If you’ve ever felt discouraged by the gap between what you believe and how you live, this week will put language to that struggle and point toward a pathway forward. We will also equip you with a tangible tool to help you take an honest look at how you’re currently being formed. 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.

How We Change Our Minds + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • January 16, 2026

Last weekend we talked about a simple but important truth: you are being formed. Not just by big moments, but by the steady rhythms of everyday life – what you give your attention to, the voices you trust, and the patterns you repeat. So, the question isn’t whether you’re being shaped, but what’s doing the shaping and where it’s leading you. As we discussed last week, we don’t want to live a life shaped by the pressures of the world, but by the transforming work of the Spirit from the inside out as He helps us renew our minds. Which raises an important follow-up question: how does that happen? How do we renew our minds so that we can know and live out God’s will for our lives? That will be the focus of this weekend’s conversation. 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.

You Are Being Formed – The Question is By What? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • January 9, 2026

This weekend we’ll continue our How We Change series with a simple but important truth: you are being formed. Not just by the big moments, but by the steady rhythms of everyday life — what you give your attention to, the voices you trust, and the patterns you repeat. The question isn’t whether you’re being shaped, but what’s doing the shaping and where is it leading you? But there’s another way: a life shaped not by the steady pressures of the world, but by the transforming work of Spirit from the inside out. If you’ve been longing for real and lasting change, come join the conversation this weekend. Also, we’d love for you to join one of our Bible reading plans so we can read Scripture together as a community. You can choose a plan that takes you through the entire Bible, or a plan focused on the New Testament. Click here to join the plan of your choice. 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 Can’t wait to celebrate with you!