Ask For The Ancient Paths
Everyone who walks the earth today is young. Our ancestors walked deeply with Christ for thousands of years before we ever took our first breath; and thousands of years before our Christian forefathers took their first breaths, God was laying paths for His people through the sea, through the desert, and into lands promised but never seen until he revealed them. Our Lord’s paths are more ancient than we can fathom.
When we follow the Wisdom that planned out the entire human story, we find the only true…
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The River
It reveals His faithfulness by always flowing - every day it's always flowing. In Buckley the river is tumbling and noisy - showing God's omnipotence and wrath. In Auburn it's wider and deeper - revealing the abundant life God brings. Down in Puyallup it's slower, more gentle and quiet - revealing God's gentleness, peace and patience.
Rivers reveal God as Jehovah Jira (the LORD who provides). Rivers are the source of drinking water, power generation, transportation, irrigation for farming, boundaries, habitation for various wildlife and a source of recreation.
The eternality of God is displayed on the cloudy days we so often experience. They are the visible sign of the…
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Elder | Deacon Review
We are happy to report that the results of the first Elder/Deacon review comments were overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. We wish to thank you for your prayers, kind words and support. The Elders shared the comments with the Deacons for their encouragement also.
There was a question from one individual who said they were not sure what the Elders did and wanted more transparency. Mike Tedrow was gracious enough to…
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Help Is On The Way
“If you would have come sooner, he wouldn’t have died,” the sisters cried. They had suffered a great loss. The loss of a loved one. They were processing what had happened to their brother and trying to make sense of it. Little did they know, this happened so the…
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Prayer & Fasting
The week of February 2nd-8th is going to mark our second fasting and prayer time of 2025. We are doing this as we seek God‘s will in getting our next Pastor. It is more than just that. We want to be as diligent as we can in drawing close to the Lord and His will for us in this next season at LTCC…
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Icebergs
I love icebergs. It’s amazing to see them form, huge chunks of ice falling into the ocean, enormous waves and, finally, a little bit of the ice still visible above the water.
While not so dramatic, the work of our elders reminds me of icebergs. Especially the last part, where only a small bit is readily visible.
The elders meet nearly every Sunday to pray, study, review and plan. Much of what we discuss is confidential, but here is a peek at …
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Gifts
God has uniquely equipped each of us to serve Him and others. Romans 12:6 reminds us,
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”
But how do you discover those gifts…
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Envisioning 2025 at LTCC
“Joined Together on the Journey with Jesus.” Jesus’ disciples follow Him with their local church. Acts 2:42-47. Discipleship ONLY happens as we follow/journey with Him together. Jesus’disciples are not independent. We are interdependent. We envision four things we will do….
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A Family Fast
Moses fasted when receiving the Ten Commandments. Daniel fasted while seeking God’s guidance. Esther fasted before approaching the king. Paul and Barnabus fasted before appointing elders in various churches.
The modern American church rarely emphasizes fasting; but given the power and pervasiveness of fasting throughout Scripture, we neglect it to our own detriment. Our congregation is preparing to invite a pastor and his family into our church family. Several candidates have expressed interest, and the PST is making decisions that will affect LTCC’s trajectory for years to come. Now is an excellent time to embrace the power of pairing our prayers with fasting.
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Making Plans
Oh, the many times I have longed to be a cricket riding the shoulder of one of those men… to hear Jesus open their minds to the Scriptures and reveal God’s plan, from eternity past, to save sinners. But as I complete another yearly read-through of the Bible, I am convinced that Jesus has been, and is, opening…
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Bodybuilding
When I was a child I played a lot of basketball, and honestly, I was good. When I grew up, I thought I was going to play basketball professionally. I was filled with potential and dreamed of playing in the NBA. Those dreams were crushed by my older, wiser, cousin when I was 12 years old. He said I had a better chance of winning the lottery than playing for the Supersonics, or any other team for that matter. Who knew I would actually grow up to be a “bodybuilder?”
It’s hard to tell by looking at me, but yes, I am a bodybuilder. Guess what? If you are…
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Reconciliation
This put Paul in an interesting position. He is the spiritual father of Onesimus, and the young man is very helpful to his ministry while he is confined to prison, but more importantly, there is unresolved conflict between Onesimus and his former master Philemon. Paul sends Onesimus back with a letter to his “beloved fellow worker” Philemon pleading with him to …
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Praying the Word
We were reminded that effective biblical prayer is a most urgent need for the church. Praying the Word of God is not new, so how can we pray His Word more effectively? We recently recited dozens of Paul’s model prayers for believers to glorify God, with eternity in mind. The biblical approach and inspired theology he uses are applicable to us today.
Let’s take this opportunity to dig into the Word of God to discover…
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Thanksgiving
As we look into the night sky, we begin to appreciate His greatness (infinitude), His power, His sovereignty, and His creativity in the diversity of His heavenly bodies and in the animals and plants around us. Each morning when we see the sunrise we can thank God for…
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Reading Into It
Churches also want to ask about a pastor’s Bible reading. For him to thrive, it should be much more than just for sermon preparation. How does he go about putting the Word in his heart? Does he still memorize scripture? What translation(s) does he use and why.
Then it is good to know how what he reads has influenced the way he ministers. Right along with that, it is a natural segue for…
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Being Light
Lately we’ve been considering how to become more missional and shine our light more brightly in the community around us. The light we share is Jesus in us, and it’s exciting to imagine all that He has planned for us!
I joyfully tell J.S. about all that God is doing…
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Trust
Election Day: Tuesday, November 5th, 2024.
I want to place before you two scenes:
One is a dry, hot, brown, deserted wasteland. Barely anything lives. Nothing thrives here. It’s a lonely, difficult place with no hope.
The other is a lush, green valley with a river running through it. Everything is vibrant. Birds are chirping, squirrels are running, and flowers are blooming. Trees provide shade and fruit for all. No one is worried when drought comes.
What’s interesting is those two places are…
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Unity
Paul says that we are not only to think about ourselves, but to consider the needs of others. Then he really goes counter-cultural to our society’s current love affair with “self-esteem” when he says to consider others more significant than yourself. Paul also points out that this attitude can only…
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First Love
For a moment, let’s consider this our prayer triplet, you, Jesus and me. Open and honest.
Ok, I’ll start… 55 years ago Patti and I began pursuing one another, spending as much time as we could talking, or just being, together. Even after curfew, we would fall asleep on the phone, just talking. I still love being with her.
Do you remember when…
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