Giving Thanks In All Circumstances

TCC • November 26, 2020

I’m thankful for you. Did you know that you are a blessing to me? Each of you in your own way add meaning and joy to my life. Kim and I just prepared a Thanksgiving video for you that I hope you have watched. If not, we hope you will watch it soon because we talked about the power of gratitude that helps us lift our eyes off the difficulties of life that can cause us to grumble.


We shared a concept from a book by neurologist Rick Hansen where he describes our brains as either Velcro or Teflon. Our natural tendency (we all have this) is for negative experiences, thoughts, words and actions to stick like Velcro to our brains. They’re hard to get unstuck. On the other hand, the positive or good events of our lives slip off our brains like an egg does in a frying pan coated with Teflon. Therefore, we have to act forcefully to pull the negative thoughts from our brains and at the same time purposefully act to stop the positive thoughts from slipping right out of our memories after we experience them.


Gratitude is the key to doing both. As I focus on the good, the bad is released. As I focus on the good, I can slow its departure from my brain and hopefully even lodge it there. Wow, that’s a lot of head stuff, and God didn’t leave us with just information about gratitude… He shows us how to make it work. In 1 Thessalonians 5 we find one of the key biblical commands concerning gratitude. Paul wrote, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I love that verse, but it’s not easy to live out in our daily lives – especially in this COVID logjam we’ve been stuck in since March.


I want to invite you to join me on a 30-day gratitude challenge beginning today, Thanksgiving, and ending on Christmas day. My plan is to spend five minutes each morning and five minutes each evening for the next 30 days expressing my gratitude to God for His blessings in my life. Since gratitude is the seedbed for joy, I want to plant as many seeds as possible and hopefully reap the benefits of expressing gratitude for 30 days. I want to begin the practice of unsticking the negative thoughts and making the positive ones stick through expressing gratitude.


Will you join me in this 30-day gratitude experiment? Here are a couple of suggestions on how to make this work for you and your family. Use a journal that you dedicate as your gratitude journal. Use a daily/monthly planner and write what you’re thankful for. Use a gratitude jar – a mason jar works great – and place it on your table with scraps of paper so the entire family can join in on this gratitude adventure. Whatever you do, make sure it’s simple and easy and memorable. Maybe it would help you, and others, if you posted your gratitude to your social media platform.


After Christmas, I’ll ask you if the gratitude experiment made a difference in your attitude, joy, contentment, peace, and overall satisfaction. Let’s increase our joy together. Just make sure that when you post about gratitude that you use #TCC30DayGratitudeExperiment. Gratitude reminds us of how we’ve been blessed and generates the emotional inertia to bless others.


I hope you’ll go to our website and look at our Holiday Serve Opportunities to see how you can bless others during this holiday season. You’ll discover how you can bless a family by making a Christmas basket. You can bless an At-Risk Student by filling a Christmas stocking. You can serve your neighbors through intentional acts of kindness. You can donate to help Interfaith Food Ministry supply meals to resource-challenged families. You can give generously to our annual Year-End Gift fund so that our church is prepared to pivot to meet new needs in the upcoming year. Whatever you do, your generosity will allow God to be seen through your actions as you spread the love of Jesus to our community.


We begin Advent this Sunday. I’m so thrilled at this opportunity to walk through this tradition with you. When we tap into the meaningful expressions handed down through the generations, we are reminded that God is faithful to His people to deliver His message of hope and love to the world. We will begin our Advent series which is called “A Messy Christmas,” to acknowledge the mess we’re experiencing together in this COVID-19 Christmas season.


Our young families are entering into this experience through the Advent Family Wreath craft. We had planned on having this as an onsite activity, but we’ve now moved it to an "At Home" event. Please call our Children’s Ministry staff at the church office, and they’ll be glad to serve you by making your own at-home Advent kit.


During this time when it’s impossible for us to be on campus together, please make sure to stay engaged online. Let me encourage you to keep your Sunday rhythms by watching the service live at either 9:00 or 11:00am. I believe that will help you stay disciplined as we walk this road of COVID restrictions together. 

 

If you need, you can watch the current service or any archived service 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. You can watch the service right from your device.  

  

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

At the End of All Things: A Conversation about End Times and What Follows + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • June 27, 2025
Last Sunday, we had a candid and meaningful conversation about death and the afterlife. I’m so grateful for the wisdom Gregory Ingram shared with us — and for the space we had to grapple with honest questions about such a tender topic. I know for many, that conversation stirred up even more questions, which is why I’m excited that Gregory will be continuing the conversation in July as part of Grow University . Click here for details. This weekend, we’ll explore a couple of important topics we didn’t have time to fully address. With so much happening in the world — especially in the Middle East — it’s natural to ask, “Is this it? Are we living in the End Times?” We’ll also wrestle with another big question: "If Heaven is real, what about Hell? Why would a loving God send anyone there?" Pastor John will guide us through these difficult, but important questions as we continue our Beyond Doubt series. You won’t want to miss it. 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.

A Big Week at TCC — and a Big Topic This Sunday + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • June 20, 2025
What a week it’s been! Our campus has been filled with laughter, learning, and life-changing moments as over 270 kids enjoyed an amazing week at Vacation Bible School. Meanwhile, more than 50 students have been away at youth camp, growing in faith and friendship. A huge thank you to every parent, volunteer, and leader who made these incredible experiences possible! Speaking of investing in the next generation, with all the Father’s Day excitement, we almost forgot to mention that last week marked 20 years since we moved into our current building! This milestone comes at a perfect time — together, we just crossed the $100,000 mark toward our Investing in the Future campaign. I know I haven’t talked much about it (I really don’t like talking about money), but we’re trusting God to help us raise a total of $600,000 to repair our roof, façade, and HVAC so our building remains a safe, welcoming place for decades to come — and to help build a church for a growing community in Uganda. To learn more or join in, click here . This Sunday, we’ll tackle one of life’s biggest questions: What really happens when we die? Do we go straight to Heaven , or do our souls wait until Jesus returns? What will eternity actually be like? Will it be an endless worship service in the clouds — and will we know our loved ones when we get there? To help us explore these questions, I’ll be joined by Gregory Ingram, director of Anew Day and a former hospice chaplain with nearly 20 years of experience walking alongside people in their final days. You won’t want to miss this meaningful conversation. I’m so grateful to be on this adventure of following Jesus together. 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.

Is God Really a Good Father? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • June 13, 2025
This Sunday is Father’s Day, and we know it can stir up all kinds of emotions. For some, it’s a day of gratitude and great memories. For others, it’s more complicated. That’s why we’re asking a big question this weekend: Is God really a good Father? Because let’s be honest, some of what we read in the Old Testament can make God seem angry, distant, or even harsh. But what if those difficult passages are meant to be read through the lens of Jesus, the Son who came not to protect us from the Father, but to show us who He truly is? We’ll explore some of those tough questions honestly and discover a clearer picture of God’s heart. Plus, we’ll celebrate Communion together as a tangible reminder that in Christ, we are fully loved and fully welcomed home. 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 Problem of Suffering + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • June 6, 2025
The single most asked question we got was some form of the following: If God is good, why does He let us suffer? Maybe you’ve asked it in a hospital room, or in the middle of a sleepless night. Maybe you’re asking it right now. If so, you’re not alone. It’s one of the deepest and most difficult questions of faith, and we’re facing it head on this weekend as we continue our Beyond Doubt series. We’ll explore what the Bible says about suffering and how viewing it through the lens of Jesus can shift our perspective. It won’t erase the pain, but it may help us see that God has not abandoned us in it. In fact, He may be closer than we ever imagined. If your heart is heavy or your hope feels thin, come. Let’s seek God’s presence and peace — together. 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 Bible’s Rosetta Stone – A Conversation You Won’t Want to Miss + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • May 30, 2025
This Sunday, we’re continuing our Beyond Doubt series with a conversation I’ve been really looking forward to. I’ll be sitting down with Dr. David Timms, Dean of New Testament and Leadership at Jessup University to talk about how we make sense of the Bible as a whole. More specifically, we will discuss the lens which he suggests best brings the whole of Scripture into focus and reveals the heart of God most clearly. It’ll be an honest, thoughtful conversation about questions many of us have had — especially when different parts of the Bible seem to paint very different pictures of God. David has a gift for making deep theology accessible, and I think you’ll find his insights both challenging and encouraging (his accent is pretty awesome, as well). If you’ve ever struggled with how to read Scripture or wondered how it all fits together, this one’s 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 Can’t wait to share it with you,

Twisted Scripture: How to Read the Bible Responsibly + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • May 23, 2025
This Sunday, we’re continuing our Beyond Doubt series with a crucial follow-up to last week’s message on trusting the Bible. Now that we’ve established what the Bible is, we’re turning our attention to how we read it — because let’s face it, the Bible has been used to justify both beautiful and terrible things. So how do we make sure we’re interpreting it responsibly? We’ll talk about why context matters, how our personal lens can unintentionally distort God’s Word, and why a single verse — ripped out of its context — can be twisted to say almost anything. You’ll learn a practical, easy-to-remember approach to reading the Bible faithfully and responsibly — not just devotionally. If you’ve ever struggled with conflicting interpretations or felt unsure about how to make sense of the Bible, this message is for you. Together, we will discover how to let God’s word shape us — without being reshaped by us. 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,

Can I Really Trust the Bible? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • May 16, 2025
This Sunday, we continue our Beyond Doubt series by asking one of the most foundational questions of all: Can I trust the Bible? For many of us, the Bible has shaped what we believe about God, ourselves, and the world. But have you ever wondered how this ancient library of books came to be? How the early church decided what made the cut? And whether what we read today matches what was originally written? We'll explore how the Bible was formed, and evidence for why it's still trustworthy and relevant today. If you've ever struggled with doubts or wrestled with tough questions about the Bible, this message is for you. You just might come away with a renewed sense of confidence in the truth you hold in your hands. 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,

Donuts, Doubt & Dedications – Celebrate Mother’s Day at Twin Cities

By TCC • May 9, 2025
Last Sunday, we got to celebrate as 31 of our brothers and sisters in Christ went public with their faith through baptism. What a powerful moment for our church family! And we’re not slowing down. This weekend, we’re pulling out all the stops to make Mother’s Day meaningful and memorable. First, there will be donuts. Because what’s a celebration without some guilt-free carbs? Sweeter still, we’ll hear from Kim Thompson, the founding mother of Twin Cities Church. Kim will be sharing a timely message about doubt and identity — how easy it is to forget who we are when life gets loud. If you’ve ever wrestled with your worth, your calling, or your place in God’s story, this message is for you. Then we’ll close the service with Family Dedications — a beautiful moment where we not only dedicate children to the Lord, but also commission parents for the sacred journey of raising them in faith. Whether you come with your mom, your kids, or just a heart ready to celebrate, you’ll be surrounded by family. We can’t wait to celebrate with 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,

Is It Okay to Deconstruct Your Faith? + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • April 25, 2025
Last weekend, we kicked off our Beyond Doubt series by voicing something many of us feel, but rarely say out loud: we have questions that can feel at odds with our faith. But as we’re exploring in this series, doubt isn’t the enemy of belief — it can actually be the doorway to a stronger, more resilient faith. This Sunday, we’re taking on a topic that’s increasingly common, yet often misunderstood: deconstruction . What do you do when the version of Christianity you inherited begins to crack under the weight of hard questions, disappointment, or pain? Is it possible to examine and pull apart your faith without walking away from it completely? We believe it is. This weekend’s message is for anyone who’s ever wrestled with their spiritual worldview — or walked alongside someone who is. We’ll talk about what it means to ask honest questions, seek real truth, and reconstruct a faith that’s stronger on the other side. Join us this Sunday as we move beyond doubt — together. 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 With hope,
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