A friend texted me this week and reminded me that Psalm 30 instructs us to let others know of God’s goodness so we can praise Him together. I had just told her about the good news Kim and I received on Monday from my local oncologist. We went to see him to get the results of my CT scan from the week before. He walked in and said, “As far as we can see, there is no new cancer.” That was such good and welcome news because it was a possibility that new cancer could have formed in my body during the chemo/radiation phase of my treatment. I’m now cleared to meet with my oncology surgeon on August 25 to plan my surgery. Please praise God with me!

Just the day before, Kim had asked me how I was feeling, and I answered her by saying, “I feel like I’m entering the land of the living.” I was referencing how difficult the treatment impact had been on me where I felt totally drained in every capacity. She responded by saying, “As I just walked Lucy (our loving black lab), God brought Psalm 27 to mind where it says, ‘I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living.’” The hair on our arms stood up as we realized we had heard the same thing from God that morning. 

That verse gives me hope and inspiration for the next classroom of my cancer healing. I’m on a journey with God where I get to see His goodness and favor poured out in my life. So let me share Psalm 27:13-14 and ask you to pray these verses with me: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” I want to look forward each day with expectancy to see the goodness of God as He pours His favor out in my life and yours. I love you and thank you for your continued prayers.

GROWTH PATH is THIS SUNDAY, August 22. Growth Path is a great 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 or just show up on Sunday at 2:00pm. 

GIRLS NIGHT OUT will be a fantastic opportunity for women of every age to gather together, celebrate, and have a fun time! Here are important details. This fantastic evening will be Friday, August 27, from 6:30-8:30pm. Make sure to register soon because it’s just around the corner – What a great way to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of something new. 

The next DRIVE-THRU FOOD DRIVE collection day to support Interfaith Food Ministry is Friday, August 27, 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’re also receiving specific items to help Hospitality House. Click here to find out what they most need. Just bring items from this list with your food donation.

HOSPITALITY HOUSE OFFERING will be Sunday, August 29. You may already know that Hospitality House is one of the organizations that COVID has adversely impacted. Here are some thoughts from the director, Ashley Quadros. The HH primary shelter (Utah’s Place) hasn’t been sufficient to meet the needs during COVID, so they have rented rooms in multiple hotels in the area for 18 months. Regular food costs have tripled during this time. The lack of willing volunteers has forced the staff to be increased by over 20% to meet the greater needs they are experiencing. There are multiple families with children, including moms with infants, depending on HH. The last time we received an offering, their director was extremely grateful for our help during this demanding and challenging time. We will provide special envelopes on August 29 in our Sunday Gathering, or you can give directly by clicking here.

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY WATER PLAY DAY is Sunday, August 29 from 12:30-2:30pm. Families, we’re going to have fun on the front lawn with slip-n-slides, inflatables, Otter Pops, and a lot of fun. Make sure your kids bring their “get wet” clothes (you too) and a picnic for your family. You can find out more on our website.

SUNDAY, we will focus on Jesus’ words describing the kind of persistence God expects from us when we come to Him with our prayer concerns. Prayer is about relationship, but it’s also about results. Even though God doesn’t always answer our prayers as we ask, He does promise to answer. I look forward to hearing the words of Jesus as we discover Following the Way of Persistence. We’ll also get to celebrate as several people “Go Public for Jesus” through the act of baptism. What a thrill it will be to be part of this momentous event. We’ll also have DONUTS as a way to help us slow down and engage with each other. Our goal is to have a food item once a month to help us SHARE LIFE with each other and help us look each other in the eyes and have conversations that matter and help us grow in friendship.

Dr. Scott Kellerman and the Nevada County Health Department made a statement on Wednesday requiring face coverings at all indoor public settings, venues, and gatherings. You can read his statement by clicking here. As part of our continuing effort to be good neighbors, we will follow those guidelines and ask our TCC people to wear face coverings while indoors. We can’t force people to wear face coverings. We can only ask you to help us do our part to help in every way possible to stop the transmission of COVID in our community. We know there are strong opinions on both sides of this issue, and we wish we didn’t have to take this action. Our goal throughout this pandemic has been to honor and glorify God, care for those who are at-risk, and be the best neighbors possible. Thank you in advance for humbly choosing to honor our request. We love you.

Here are the links you’ll need to be fully prepared for Sunday’s Service:

• Message Notes and Study Guide
• Weekly Spotify Playlist
• Children's Ministry
• Student Ministry 

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

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