The Difference Between Complaining And Lamenting

TCC • September 10, 2020

I’ve told you for quite a while now that I am a “recovering Eeyore.” Part of that is a strength since I have the ability to notice problems and difficulties often before anyone else. Another part is a weakness in that I can sometimes get stuck in a sort of “Oh no, Oh me, Oh my" mindset. Our latest electricity shutoff has been another chance for me to make a choice. Am I going to groan (and stay stuck) today, or am I going to grieve (move forward) today?

Let me explain. I was with a couple of friends last weekend, and they brought up the difference between complaining and lamenting. They shared how easy it is to become stuck in a mindset of complaining. They commented on how some people see nothing but BAD in this season of disruption which seems to cause them to become complainers and victims. They helped me consider how counter-productive it is to have a complainer mindset.

They shared the idea of choosing the mindset of lament instead of complaint. It may help here for me to define the two words. To complain means to express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment. To lament, on the other hand, means to express grief, suffering, or sadness. Do you see the difference?

Complainers believe that if they make enough noise that someone (God or someone else in power) will notice them and fix the circumstances that create such an inconvenience. Lamenters believe that if they let God know their deep sadness or grief that someone (God or someone who cares) will notice them and offer to help them carry their burden.

As I look at our world right now, I’m seeing lots of complainers, and I’m calling myself out here, who want someone to come in on a white horse and save the day and relieve their angst. Instead, what I believe is that we need people who will be lamenters – people who cry out to God about the grief, sadness, or suffering they see. Folks, only God can comfort the hurting in our world, and He’s called us to be His ambassadors. He wants us to be people who express empathy and sadness, people who seek to understand before being understood, people who want to help more than want to receive help, people who want to listen before being heard. Imagine how that would change the tone of our conversations.

My friends gave me a great gift by helping me take my eyes off things that inconvenience me or bring me angst. They helped me put my eyes on God and by faith talk to Him about the things that make me sad. Here’s to becoming a better lamenter than complainer because that can truly make a difference in us and the people to whom we get to be an ambassador of Christ.

John Fairchild, Mare Dibert, and the Fall Family Festival Team have come up with a creative approach to FFF this year. We’re going to offer our community a drive-thru extravaganza complete with crafts, food, music, surprises and of course CANDY! As you can imagine this is taking a huge amount of planning and preparation in order to help everyone have a great family experience that is safe and sound for all. You’ll hear more about this really soon. You can begin helping today by making your candy purchases and dropping it by the church or ordering online from your favorite retail store and having it sent directly to our church office.

Parents, we are eager to offer your children an opportunity to engage spiritually here at church. Starting this Sunday, September 13, we’re going to offer a kid’s worship experience at 9:00 and 11:00am. Each gathering (one for pre-school – 3 year – kindergarten – and one for grade school 1^st – 5^th) will be limited to 14 kids, so registration is a must. Find out room location and registration protocol on our website. I appreciate Bobby and his team for doing the diligent work to make sure we have a safe environment for all.

On Sunday we’ll continue our RISE UP series by looking at Nehemiah 11-12. Nehemiah and the people of God have completed the wall and now they get to have a time of joyous celebration as they dedicate the wall and themselves to God for His glory.

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.

Our outdoor venue is for people who want to be able to sing and sit outside during the service. 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. We are a church of people who gather together both online and onsite, indoors or outdoors to offer our worship to God.

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

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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!

Remembering God’s Faithfulness to Us This Year + Sunday Morning Resources

By TCC • December 26, 2025

As we come to the final Sunday of the year, we’ll pause to do something sacred: remember . Together, we’ll look back and reflect on the many ways God has been faithful to us, celebrating the stories, milestones, and blessings He has poured out on our church family over this past year. It’s a moment to give thanks and to recognize that every good gift truly comes from Him. We’ll also gather around the Lord’s Table and celebrate communion, our tangible reminder that while we are grateful for what God has done, the best is still ahead. Because of Jesus, we don’t just look back with gratitude, we look forward with hope. We have eternity with Him to look forward to. Year-End Gift As we close the year, we’re also inviting those who feel led to give one final financial gift to help us finish the year strong. Every gift — large or small — helps us care well for our church family, support our ministry partners, and honor the staff who serve so faithfully. Your generosity enables us to continue being a church marked by gratitude, faithfulness, and generosity. Click here to learn more about our Year-End Gift or to give now. I am incredibly grateful for all God has done in and through Twin Cities Church this year, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us in the New Year. See you Sunday. 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!