Being in the Presence of Jesus + Sunday Morning Resources

TCC • April 29, 2022

Jesus is present in the storms we face in life. That’s exactly what Sunday’s service opened up to us. I know about storms (I grew up in Oklahoma!) and realize how scary and discombobulating they can be as you are being tossed about in the throes of a storm’s fury. However, I appreciated how Pastor Mark developed his message to show how compassionate, concerned, and capable Jesus was in the middle of this storm. I love how Jesus was secure enough in His Father’s care to be relaxed and calm. As Mark said, we can unleash hope in our storms as we trust Jesus – He sees us, cares about us, is present with us, and brings us through the storms we face with strength and hope. I find great comfort in that promise.

Several people have asked me how to practice being in the presence of Jesus. I love that question. Being in the presence of Jesus has been my life goal now for the past nine years. This is why we’ve transitioned our vision of how we grow in our faith to this model: If you want to have the life of Jesus, you must practice the lifestyle of Jesus. In other words, if we’re going to be present with Jesus, we must engage in the practices He did, which gave Him great strength because He had been in the Father’s presence. I pray that we will all get this. You might go to our website and look at the resources we’ve curated there that will help you practice the way of Jesus. It’s done as we SHARE LIFE with Jesus and each other, STRENGTHEN FAITH as we grow in confidence in God’s Word for our lives, SERVE OTHERS by humbly putting the needs of others ahead of our own, and SPREAD HOPE as we devotedly pray and purposefully act for the rapid spread of the Gospel message in our world.

Learning to be in the presence of Jesus requires discipline, determination, and delight as we pursue Him. In my current season where I’m more aware than ever that I am not in control of the circumstances of my life, and I’ve discovered that this is a practice I need to engage in more and more. As I’ve watched the NBA playoffs, I’ve seen a video of Steph Curry practicing his jump shots repeatedly for long periods of time each day. You might think that he wouldn’t need to be so disciplined to practice that much as good of a shot-maker as he has become. But, the truth in this is that if we don’t practice, we won’t grow. But we also don’t stay the same because we actually digress in our ability. So, let me encourage you that following Jesus, and becoming like Him, requires a lifetime of practice.

Here are some upcoming opportunities to SHARE LIFE, STRENGTHEN FAITH, SERVE OTHERS, and SPREAD HOPE to our family and community.

SERVE OUR COMMUNITY is back and with expanded opportunities to get out and impact our local community. In my message from March 13, I walked us through the vision to be a church for our community as working for the common good of our friends and neighbors. The truth is that as our community is better, then our lives are better. We get to benefit from what God does to shine the light of Jesus into our world. This year we will be out in our community over three weekends beginning April 30. It’s still not too late to join us TOMORROW. Just show up at the church at 8:00am. Please know that there is something for everyone, whether you can do physical-type projects or not. You can check out the opportunities Pastor John Fairchild and Mare Dibert have worked to make available and sign up for the one that fits you best on our website.

WILLIAM JESSUP UNIVERSITY CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA – Friday, May 6, 7:00pm at TCC. Join us as we are led to worship and connect with Jesus with this awesome group of college students. WJU is one of our ministry partners because we want to be part of investing in the next generation. Some of our own TCC young adults will be part of this musical experience. This FREE event is designed for everyone in our community so please invite your family and friends to be part of this with us.

GROWTH PATH is Sunday, May 15. Growth Path is a fantastic time to find out more about our church and how you can fit in here. We all need a place where we can know and be known, love and be loved, serve and be served, and celebrate and be celebrated. So, I hope you’ll go to our website and register to attend the class that fits you best. We are eager to talk about God’s call on our church and how you can belong and participate in a meaningful way as we practice the way of Jesus together.

THIS SUNDAY, we continue our UNLEASHING HOPE series as we focus on the Unleashing Hope in Your Suffering – in the struggles of life. Just like we talked about in the service on Unleashing Hope for Your Relationships, we don’t get much training or teaching in how to face suffering in life, which is unfortunate since Jesus guaranteed that we would have troubles in this life. On Sunday, we will consider Paul’s advice and instruction on facing discouragement and disappointment as we hold firm to the anchor of hope.

CANCER HEALING JOURNEY. Thank you for your continued prayers for my healing journey from cancer. This was a very busy week of treatments and procedures. I was in San Francisco on both Monday and Tuesday concerning the surgical procedure to remove the stent from my esophagus. The purpose of the stent was to stretch the opening of my esophagus and allow me to swallow so I could begin gaining weight. Praise God, it worked, and I’ve gained TEN pounds since February 22. I also met with my local oncologist on Monday. He gave me a thumbs up to continue my immunotherapy treatments. On Tuesday morning, I did my eighth treatment at SNMH before Kim and I drove back to San Francisco for my stent removal surgery which went well. Wow! What a week. I’m feeling pretty fatigued and have a sore throat today. Please pray that my esophagus will remain open so I won’t need more procedures in the future. While you’re at it, please pray for the efficacy of the immunotherapy treatments so that my immune system will attack any future cancer growth. I love you so much.

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!