I loved seeing all the smiling faces as we gathered at church this week. Folks, we were made for community, and this COVID-19 logjam has caused one of the most significant obstructions to community that we have ever faced. We’re made for smiles, hellos, handshakes, hugs, conversations, tears, laughter, and connection. We talk a lot at Twin Cities about our need for being in relationships with others because it’s how we were made.

Since we’re made in our Father’s image, and He exists in a community that we call the Trinity, we need divine and human interaction and intimacy. In fact, in Kim’s message on Sunday, as she talked about the Promise of Wisdom, one of the application points she talked about is to “Tell others about our pain.” But the most important point she made was that we don’t gain wisdom by intellectual pursuit. Instead, we gain wisdom by our experiential relationship with God. Over and over in this series we’re going to see that wisdom invites us into relationship and connection that is more powerful than any of the forces at play in our world today.

Let me take a moment here to comment on what appears to be such division in our culture concerning our political views, social stances, and fundamental freedoms. One journalist recently made this observation of our current condition: “We are who we hate.” We see that play out on social media and in the news feeds tailored to cause us to have strong adverse reactions to those who disagree with what we believe is right. There is a “cancel culture” out there, where if I disagree with you on one point, then I can dismiss you overall as a whole person or all of your views, instead of walking forward in unity despite our disagreements.

That thinking plays out in the church as well, and we can be tempted to allow our differences to separate us relationally along our strong and passionate beliefs over what we consider as right and wrong. And when you add in the impact of a global pandemic, economic struggles, issues of freedom from oppression and racial injustice, and a political process that is more vitriol than any in our memories, then you have a recipe for conflict, confusion, and chaos.

We must remember that every person we meet is made in God’s image and then treat them as precious in the sight of their Maker – so precious that He sent His Son to die on a cross to redeem them. If you follow me and my thoughts through this email blast, you will soon come to see that this theological worldview is what shapes my approach to seasons like we find ourselves in now.

We must Love Everyone Always, even those with whom we disagree. This is why we talk so much about asking God for more of His Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit so we can be Jesus to our world.

We must also trust God and live in the reality of the Kingdom of Heavens that is here now with us through the presence of His Spirit. We must not let our hubris determine our views and actions, but we must trust in God to show us His way through the fog and dark waters in which we live.

As we move forward through our cultural chaos, we are being confronted by different political worldviews and approaches to governing our land. We must remember that because we are fallen, there will never be a perfect government here on Earth until Jesus establishes His Kingdom. At the same time, we know that because of the belief that all persons are made in the image of God, that the protection of all people is imperative. We do that out of love.

People ask me to give them guidance about voting or want me to speak up for their cause or against the cause of another. The best guidance I can give is to vote according to the person or policy or platform that will do the most to protect those who are most vulnerable in our land and benefit the most people while allowing everyone the dignity to pursue their divine destiny and discover their God-given identity as they become all He made them to be.

This is why I want to say, Voting Matters. This election year is full of more polarizing views and confounding issues than any I can ever remember. I want to encourage you that voting according to your biblical conscience is so important, but probably more important this year than ever before. Because voting is so important to our democracy – it is the way we can voice our values – let me remind you to register to vote. 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.

Because voting matters so much, please don’t allow anything to keep you from voicing your democratic freedom by casting your vote this year. I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but in our last presidential election, only 56% of eligible voters cast their ballot. That means that over 100 million people didn’t vote. Voting is one of the primary ways we express our views in this world, so please do not let your discouragement, disappointment, or apathy keep you from voting this year. Make your voice count.

Fall Family Festival is just 16 days away, and 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 to help our community have a fun and free event for the entire family – but the kids are the ones who will like it most. We’ve served our community 15 years now, and even with the COVID-19 restrictions in place, we believe we can offer a safe experience.

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.

I’m inviting you to make your way back to church. Some of you may not be able to because you are considered at-risk or in a vulnerable category. I understand that. If that’s you, we’ll have a seat waiting for you when you return. But, for the rest of you, I’ve noticed how much joy there is as I connect with people before and after our services. We have seats available. We’d love to see you this week as we continue our Uncommon Sense series.

We will be looking in detail at the “Benefits of Wisdom” on Sunday. If you want to read ahead, you can open your Bible to Proverbs 3 and read verses 13-35. I hope this Sunday will be the week you decide to make your way back. Remember, we have a seat for you.

One way you can go deeper and be even more inspired through our series on Proverbs is to make it a goal to read it each day. 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 15, so you would read Proverbs 15. Just read the Proverb that corresponds with the day. Let’s grow in wisdom together.

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.

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 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.

In case you’ve not heard, we’ve now added an opportunity for families with children. Let me encourage our young families that we have space for you and to keep checking the website for new activities.  Please make sure to register your kiddos on our website before you arrive.

Our Student Ministry Team has moved to a format on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30pm at the church that will allow 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. Students are also meeting at 10:30am on Sundays for connect time and donuts, and then they attend the 11:00am service together. Make sure to encourage your students to be here because they need community in ways they may not even be aware. 

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