Dear LTCC Family,

God speaks to his people in many different ways. To Moses, he spoke through a burning bush (Exodus 3). To Job, he spoke through a whirlwind (Job 38). To Elijah, he spoke in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19). At one point, he even opened the mouth of a donkey (Numbers 22) to get his point across!

In the New Testament, God speaks in whole new ways. He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, which speaks not only TO us (John 16:13), but also THROUGH us (Mark 13:11). He also speaks to us through Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16), which the Holy Spirit enables us to understand (1 Corinthians 2:10-14).

Furthermore, David tells us that all of creation declares the glory of God (Psalm 19:1), and Paul reiterates the point in his letter to the Romans (Romans 1:19-20). Every tree, every rock, and every star in the sky is communicating to us a message from God concerning his glory!

Overall, I think it is safe to say that God takes an “all of the above” approach to communication. Not every person hears in exactly the same way, so not every method of communication will be appropriate for every person. God is not limited to always doing things exactly the same way. He is perfectly capable of utilizing whatever communication method will be most effective for the situation. Stubborn Balaam got a talking donkey because he probably wouldn’t have responded to Elijah’s “gentle whisper.” 

At LTCC, we have tried to be intentional about imitating this “all of the above” communication style. We communicate things verbally, through announcements at our Sunday morning church services. We communicate virtually, by posting those same announcements on our website. And we communicate in writing via a monthly event sheet as well as these weekly check-in emails which often highlight upcoming events and projects. As a leadership team, we also try to make ourselves as available as possible if there are any follow up questions or concerns. Our email addresses are all available on the church website, and our phone numbers are in the church directory. 

Jesus’ prayer for the church is that we would “be brought to complete unity” (John 17:23) and maintaining open lines of communication within the body is a crucial component of that unity. Thus, I would encourage us all to engage with the church using whatever method of communication you find most helpful. Maybe listening to the announcements on Sunday morning isn’t really your thing. That’s fine. You can read them on the website later. Maybe you’re not so tech-savvy and need that verbal communication or a tangible paper reminder to stay in the loop. That’s fine too. God made us all different and the different parts of the body need different things. As long as the message is getting across, the form the message takes is not crucial. And who knows? Maybe one of these days, God will send us one of those talking donkeys. I, for one, would not be opposed.

On behalf of the Elders and Deacons,

Daniel Geske

• Looking forward to seeing you all at the potluck at Mayfield Lake on Wednesday!

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• What's Happening @ LTCC?  Try the method that works best for you!

  • See?  View our Announcements webpage. 

  • Touch? Grab a monthly paper bulletin from an usher. 

  • Hear? Listen to the announcements at the beginning of Sunday service. 

  • Talk? Speak to a leader or anyone who can help you get connected.

• Who is this week's Missionary Spotlight?  Micah & Andrea Heath

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