Our Message should NEVER CHANGE but Our Methods Must Change.

Sometimes God just jumps all over me. He stretches me and makes me step outside my comfort zone. Sometimes, I end up in places doing things that I Never EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT. A few months back, I left my church home where I had been for over 30 years. God was stretching me then and continues to stretch and mold me into what he wants me to be today. Just a couple weeks ago, I found myself being stretched again and was led to partner and use what I have learned in life with another ministry I believe in and have watched for several years.

Now let me say this. Being plugged in to a local body of believers is VITAL to your spiritual growth and accountability. There is nothing warmer or more friendly than getting a handshake and a hug from your pastor and his wife and seeing good friends that share your same beliefs. NOTHING on the planet can ever come close. But, sometimes people just won't step inside a church building. They have been burned, been looked down on whatever the reason why. So, I strongly believe we have to meet people where they are and leave our comfort world and just GO. Sometimes GO, doesn't mean GO at all. Sometimes GO, means going to them by whatever means it takes to get us there. That's why our fellow arc church Lifechurch.tv started having their church service broadcast over the internet. Church Online has been a huge success and reaches thousands each and every week using the internet as it's platform.

One of the advantages of attending a church online is the ability to stay anonymous. No one is going to judge you because of your skin color, your weight, your style of dress (or lack there of), or the zit on your face that won’t shut up.

So if you don’t feel comfortable in a church online, you simply click on the little ‘x’ & move on. I have found that most people who are hurting & struggling with a deep, dark secret will not step foot in a normal church. It can seem socially awkward. They may not have good clean clothes to wear or better yet a "suit" to wear. But they will go to an online church experience because a) no one will even know they are there and b) it just takes one click to leave if things get weird.

Sometimes, the links that people click on has revealed exactly what people are searching for when they click on the link to come to church online and church online can ‘see’ into their hearts & know where they are hurting and it is very dark.

So with al that being said, I am currently a chat host in one or the worship experiences. My time is for Saturday night at 9:30pm. So if you ever get to visit church online and it happens to be the Saturday night 9:30 experience and you see the chat room box being very active, it will probably be me giving viewers hope and encouragement.

Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life”. How cool is it to use an unconventional tool like church online to share with those hurting that there is a God that loves us more than we can imagine that desires to restore our souls? There is hope. And ‘this hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls’ (Hebrews 6:19).

AGAIN, any church online will absolutely NEVER NEVER NEVER replace the fellowship and encouragement of attending a local body of believers and being plugged into what I call my " FAITH FAMILY ". I SERIOUSLY LOVE where God has me and at Life Church West Monroe.

till next time,
peace
tc
Romans 5:1

What I have learned in Life so Far

I've learned....

That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

That having your son fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

That being kind is more important than being right.

That you should never say "no" to a gift from a child or God.

That money doesn't buy class. That has to be earned.

That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs to act goofy ever so often.

That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

That simple game of “catch” with my father during summer nights years ago did wonders for me as an adult.

That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

That it's those small daily happenings that make life so incredible.

That under everyone's hard outside is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. Why should I think I can?

That sometime ignoring the facts does not change the facts.

That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you. Let God will deal with them later.

That love, not time, heals all wounds.

That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

That opportunities are never lost, someone will take the ones you miss.

That when you keep bitterness locked up inside, happiness will dock elsewhere. So let it go.

That I wish I could have told my Mom & Dad that I love them one more time before they passed away.

That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

The devil's greatest trick is making humanity think that he really doesn't exist.

Faith is like a river, the more you stay in the middle the safer you are.

Sin is like a vacuum cleaner, the closer you get the stronger it pulls.

Live in the moment , and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering .

Life is never boring unless you decide to quit changing.

What would happen if just for ONE DAY. we focused our actions on helping people rather than on oursleves. Would the world explode. Probably not, but our hearts probably would.

When you truly love students, they return more than you give.

When the calling of God is scary, we lead by reminding the people of God that Jesus did not come to make us safe. He came to make us brave through FAITH. He ask us to just step across the street because we don't realize what isn't a part of our daily lives, we ignore it, sometimes we don't want to see it."

That when you're in love with Jesus , it shows.

till next time,
peace
tc
Romans 5:1