I’m reflecting today on the new series we began on Sunday called Uncommon Sense: Walking the Way of Wisdom. I guess that even after 29 years of being your pastor I am still amazed at how exciting it is to dig into God’s Word with you. Proverbs is going to be such an inspiring study. One quote from Sunday that stood out to many was this: You can't build a good life if you make bad decisions. That’s so true. Proverbs is all about the wisdom to make good decisions.

Let me invite you to make plans to attend on campus this week as we continue our Uncommon Sense series. We’ll be focusing on Proverbs 2 and talking about the “Pursuit of Wisdom.” This will be a continuation of the idea we began on Sunday as I talked about the right posture to engage in as we approach God for His wisdom. If you missed Sunday, please  watch the service this week because what I shared will help you glean more from the rest of the series.

One way you can be inspired through our series on Proverbs is to make it a goal to read it. Proverbs has 31 chapters so I’m inviting you to join me and make a commitment to read one chapter per day. For example, today is October 1, so you would read Proverbs 1. Just read the Proverb that corresponds with the day. Let’s grow in wisdom together.

I’ve been reflecting on the past seven months and how many new decisions that I’ve been part of because of COVID-19. Sure, all the normal stuff was there, but this disruption has created a whole slate of new and complex problems and opportunities that have required more brain power than I’ve ever used. I imagine it’s the same for you. I’m so glad that God uses us in our weaknesses because I’ve sure found myself feeling unqualified for the task at hand so many times lately.

In fact, I wrote someone this week that this has been the most complicated and difficult season of my 29 years of being your pastor. On Saturday morning, during our Prayer Gathering, Howard Kliever prayed for all our pastors as he said, “Nobody taught our pastors how to lead during a pandemic in seminary.” That is so true.

Someone else wrote me recently and encouraged us to maintain our integrity when it comes to the decisions we’ve made and not to give in to COVID fatigue. What an empathetic word of encouragement because COVID fatigue is real. I know you’ve experienced that in your lives as well – especially if you’re called to lead others.

Our study in Proverbs came at such a good time. I told some of the staff that we needed a series that didn’t focus on COVID, and instead focused on the common sense we all need more of in our world right now. So, when I was beginning to sense that I was becoming driven by my need for comfort or pleasing when it comes to making decisions, Proverbs reminded me that I need to make my decisions based upon wisdom. Do the wise thing because good things happen when we make wise choices, but bad things happen when we make bad decisions.

At the same time, I understand that not everyone will agree with the decisions we’ve made as a leadership team during COVID. That’s a given. We are walking down a path and through a season none of us have ever walked or navigated before, and with God as our guide, we’re going to make the best decisions possible. I ask you to keep us in prayer as we go forward because it looks like we’re going to be doing this COVID dance for quite a while longer whether we want to or not.

Now that we’re in the Orange category concerning COVID-19 restrictions, we can have 200 people per service here at TCC. That opens a lot of seats for you to come as we double our current adult attendance. If you’ve been waiting to come, let me encourage you that if you aren’t in the category of being vulnerable, at-risk, or sick, that we will have space for you. Many people came last Sunday for the first time since March 15, and what I kept hearing was how meaningful it is to be together again. Most people have appreciated the online viewing option so much, but being together again showed them how much they had been missing.

We plan to add live music back in as soon as possible, but until we do, our Worship Arts Team will keep recording quality and inspiring song sets each week that will allow us to engage in worship together. We will still have the outdoor venue available for those who want to have more space and freedom.

We’ve added an opportunity for families with children. It’s exciting to begin dreaming again about how we can offer even more ways for our families to connect as time goes on. Let me encourage our young families that we have space for you and to keep checking the website for new activities like a Family Film Night  scheduled for October 9 on the lawn just for you. Our Student Ministry Team has already moved to a format on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30pm at the church that will allow more of our students to engage. They are having their gatherings on Wednesday evenings with Junior High on one end of the building and High School on the other. Make sure to encourage your students to be here because they need community in ways they may not even be aware.

Let me ask you to help us by respecting the needs of others during this time. We’re still going to be the best neighbors we can to each other and to those in our community. New people are coming each week, and we want to be at our best so that they see the love of Jesus in our actions and attitudes. Our goal is to still be a safe place for people to check out the claims of Jesus Christ and choose to follow Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Folks, people still need HOPE and that comes from knowing God and walking with Jesus, so let’s keep inviting our friends to a place where hope is found – where people can come meet Jesus.

I’m extremely pumped about our new look for Fall Family Festival for this COVID-19 year. You can look at our website and see the plan John Fairchild and Mare Dibert put together. I love the vision and dream behind our Drive-Thru Fall Family Festival experience this year. We’ve served our community 15 years now by offering a safe, fun, candy-filled experience for families each October 31, and even with the COVID-19 restrictions in place, we believe we can offer a fun and safe time this year as well. There are three things we need that will be essential to pulling this off: candy, volunteers, and invites. Please drop your candy off at the church or order from your favorite online retailer and have it shipped directly to TCC. You can sign up to serve online or at church and go ahead and use our website link to invite your friends while you’re at it. 

The deadline to register to vote in California is October 19, 2020. I can’t emphasize strongly enough how important each vote is, and I want to encourage you to register if you aren’t. Here is the link to online registration, which is probably the safest way to register during COVID-19.

If you would like to register using a paper voter registration application, you can pick one up at your county elections office, library, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, or U.S. Post Office. It is important that your voter registration application be filled out completely and be postmarked or hand delivered to your county elections office at least 15 days before the election.

During this time when it’s impossible for us all to be on campus together, please make sure to stay engaged online if you can’t be here with us either outside or inside. Our services will continue to be streamed live at 9:00 and 11:00am, or you can watch them 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.

Our outdoor venue is for people who want to have more freedom in their experience. We have tents and fans outside. Each week we’ll continue to adapt and flex as we expand that opportunity at both 9:00 and 11:00am. Make sure to notice the air quality if we’re still having smoky skies. In case you’re wondering we’ve picked 201 (Purple) or higher as our safety threshold for our outdoor venue. If it’s over that, we‘ll all meet inside. You can check that online.

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