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…
Read MoreI 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 …
Read MoreGod 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…
Israel was about to begin a 40-year search as a nation for a new homeland. LTCC is continuing our search for a new pastor.
Israel wouldn't go on their journey unless the LORD went with them Exodus 33:12-15. LTCC is seeking the Lord to lead us as we continue our…
“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….
Read MoreMoses 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.
Read MoreOh, 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…
Read MoreWhen 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…
Read MoreThis 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 …
Read MoreWe 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…
Read MoreAs 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…
Read MoreChurches 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…
Read MoreLately 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…
Read MoreElection 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…
Read MorePaul 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…
Read MoreFor 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…
Read MoreThis past Sunday, Matt shared a comment that had been attached to the Ministry Insight Tool (MIT) survey. It went something like this, “We're not waiting for the new pastor to come and fix us. We’re waiting for him to come and...
Read MoreThe lush garden of Genesis and the glittering jewels of Revelation are meaningless apart from their Author, whose beauty is unmatched. In His presence is the greatest bliss, and to be thrown out of His presence is...
Read MoreLast Sunday, I preached about our urgent need for being closer to God, and that a primary way we can do that is through prayer. Are you buying it? That sounds kind of crass, but I want to challenge you to really think about it. Are you going to use your life that God has given you to...
Read MoreWe celebrate weekly through the Featured Missionary portion of our Sunday service, hearing updates and seeing videos of our treasured missionaries. Those videos have been an especially exciting addition recently! We also have been blessed by some in person updates! We had the...
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