Eyes of Compassion + Sunday Morning Resources

TCC • May 13, 2022

I loved the picture Kim painted for us last Sunday as she reflected on Jesus and Peter from John 13. If you were at church in person or watched online, you heard her describe the moment when Jesus was about to wash Peter’s feet. There are so many times when I wish we had a video to watch of that moment, but we’re left to our imaginations as we seek to put ourselves into the stories of the Bible. This is one of those times.

The moment Kim shared from this story was when Peter loudly exclaimed, “No. You won’t wash my feet.” I wish I had a clear picture of the look on Jesus’ face at that moment. Kim helped me to realize that Jesus was looking at Peter with eyes of love, compassion, and maybe even with a gentle smile on His face. Do you ever picture Jesus looking at you with such love?

Let me encourage you to pull your Bible or Bible App out and read the last supper story from John 13. As you do, picture Jesus and Peter in your mind as their eyes connected for those moments. Peter may have remembered all the times when he blurted out an inappropriate emotional reaction to what Jesus was doing. It may have caused him to feel shame or regret. I don’t think Jesus was recalling any of Peter’s failures or emotional blunders. I imagine Jesus was thinking of the Father’s words from Jeremiah 31 when God says to His people, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” I believe Jesus was contemplating all He loved about Peter with an understanding that He would soon go to the cross to erase all Peter’s shame and guilt. I believe Jesus was looking at Him with eyes of compassion.

That makes me want to ask you what you think Jesus thinks about you. Is it glare of disappointment or anger, or does Jesus look at you with the same eyes of love and compassion? Will you meditate on that scene and place yourself in Peter’s spot at the table? Sit and reflect on Jesus’ love for you in that moment.

This Sunday, we get to observe Communion together. It’s a time to remember how much Jesus loves us. It’s a time to recall His time on the cross, where He hung there with all the pain and shame of this cruel form of death – and He did it because He loves us. When we can rest in His love, we can have hope in the middle of the moments of life when we feel that we’re not worthy of being loved. So please make sure to be at church on Sunday because Communion is a time when God reminds us of our identity in Him. We are His BELOVED.

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

As part of SERVE OUR COMMUNITY, we will host the Nevada County Foster Care Family Fair tomorrow, Saturday, May 14. We will be supporting several of our county agencies and organizations for a day of fun, encouragement, and resource sharing from 10:00am-2:00pm. This event would be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the foster care services in our community and how you can help support these families. It’s free and includes lunch!

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.

The next DRIVE-THRU FOOD DRIVE collection day to support Interfaith Food Ministry is Friday, May 20, from 8:00-10:30am. Please bring your non-perishable foods to the church, and we’ll make sure all the food gets delivered to Interfaith. This is a huge help to the resource-challenged in our community. We will also be receiving specific items to help Hospitality House. Here’s how you can find out what they most need. Just bring items from this list with your food donations.

CELEBRATE BAPTISM on Sunday, May 22 in both gatherings. If you’ve never taken this meaningful step with Jesus by identifying with Him and His church through baptism, we want to encourage you to “go public” with your faith. You can find out more on Sunday, May 15 by attending our baptism class that meets at 9:00am. Please visit our website and indicate your interest or meet at the Coffee Bar for this one-time class.

RUN FOR THE COMMUNITY is Saturday, June 4. What an excellent opportunity for us to serve the local running Grand Prix. You can sign up to serve or participate in the 5k Run/Walk. Just go to our website or look for the SPREAD HOPE table on Sunday while you’re at church. All the proceeds from this event will be funneled back to our local Community Partners to encourage them in their mission to make Nevada County better.

THIS SUNDAY we begin a new series called ROOTED: Grow Deep, Build Up, Live Strong. This series is directly out of the New Testament book of Colossians. On Sunday, we will set up the series by giving the context and purpose for this beautiful letter written by the Apostle Paul. You might consider reading all four chapters before Sunday to prepare your heart for what God wants to say as we dig into this book. We will also have a moment to observe Communion together as part of our gathering.

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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Easter Weekend: Come Celebrate the Resurrection of Our King + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • April 3, 2026

Easter weekend is finally here, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you. Today is Good Friday and, as I’ve said before, it’s the single most meaningful day of the year for me. If Easter is the celebration of the hope we have in Christ, then Good Friday is when the greatest act of love in history was carried out. So, while we look forward to Easter, we begin here. Today, there are two opportunities to gather and remember: • Community Good Friday Service at 1st Baptist Church of Grass Valley — 12:00pm • Twin Cities Good Friday Service at TCC — 6:00pm I plan to be at both, and I hope you can join us for at least one. Then tomorrow we’ll host our annual Pancake Breakfast & Easter Egg Hunt . This is one of our largest community outreaches as we welcome families from across our county who wouldn’t normally step onto our campus. Even if you don’t have kids, come help us love our neighbors well. Finally, on Sunday we’ll celebrate with three Easter services at 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30am . I can’t wait to celebrate the day our hope was resurrected. And don’t come alone. There are people in your sphere of influence who don’t have a church community — and many will come if they’re simply invited. Take that step and bring someone 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 soon,

Taking a Closer Look + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • March 27, 2026

This Sunday we begin our journey to Easter with Palm Sunday and it’s going to be an adventure. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the streets were packed with people carrying huge expectations about what He was coming to do and how He would do it. They were ready for a revolution… but they had the wrong enemy in mind. Palm Sunday has a way of confronting our assumptions, clarifying what kind of King Jesus is, and inviting us to follow Him on His terms, not ours. Come ready to lean in, reflect, and prepare your heart for Easter. And don’t miss the beginning of the service. Our Children’s Ministry has a special surprise for us, and you’ll want to be there for it. Also, you have the ability to help change the eternal trajectory of someone’s life. Surveys consistently show that a high percentage of non-churchgoing adults say they would attend an Easter service if invited by someone they know. That means your personal invite to a friend, coworker, or neighbor is far more impactful than any post or mailer we could produce. So please prayerfully consider who you will invite to join you this Easter. I’m looking forward to celebrating the resurrection of our King. 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.

Don’t Try Harder + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • March 20, 2026

This weekend, we’re wrapping up our How We Change series, and we’re ending with a simple but freeing truth: real change doesn’t come through more willpower, but through steady surrender and training with Jesus. In a world that craves instant results, spiritual growth is often slower than we want, but as we walk with Him over time, the Holy Spirit does the deep work of shaping us into people who live and love more like Christ. This weekend, we’ll look at how lasting change really happens — and how to keep saying yes to Jesus one step at a time. Also, don’t forget: this Saturday is our Man Time Breakfast , and it’s not too late to sign up. It’ll be a great morning to connect, eat well, and be encouraged together. More info and sign up here . Hope to see you this weekend. 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 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.