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This Week at Twin Cities - March 25, 2010

Hey Everybody,

Easter is one of those “pump me up” days that I always look forward to. This year we plan on experiencing the resurrection as we celebrate with the men, women and children who will be baptized. Let me encourage you (you might even call it a challenge) to make Easter 2010 a date you will always remember by participating in your own baptism. We’ll have a class on March 28 at 9:35, and then we’ll baptize in all four Easter services.

As we prepare our hearts for Easter, I want to say how important Sunday will be for all of us. It’s Communion day at Twin Cities. Communion has become such a special moment for our church family, and we now observe it on a bi-monthly basis. The last time we observed Communion our church had such an incredible experience that we’re going to repeat the same pattern. We will change the music and message portions, but the Communion experience of us getting up and walking to the stations will be the same. I pray you will all come with your hearts eager and ready to receive from God as we focus on the peace we know in Jesus this week.

Every survey I’ve read says that people are more open to attending church on Christmas and Easter than any other time of the year. Knowing that can give us a spiritual boldness when it comes to extending an invitation to our workmates, family members or friends. Make sure to grab a handful of Easter invitations when you are at church on Sunday and ask God to show you the people He wants you to reach out to.

Looking forward to Communion with you,

Pastor Ron

This Week at Twin Cities - March 18, 2010

Hey Everybody,

Easter is one of those “pump me up” days that I always look forward to. This year we plan on experiencing the resurrection as we celebrate with the men, women and children who will be baptized. Let me encourage you (you might even call it a challenge) to make Easter 2010 a date you will always remember by participating in your own baptism. We’ll have classes on March 21 and 28 at 9:35, and then we’ll baptize in all four Easter services.

The past two weeks, I have shared how God is leading us to live for Him as we walk together into the future. I mentioned four key ideas: 1. God wants us to be people who are surrendered to Him in worship. 2. God wants us to give our lives away to reach those who need Him most. 3. God wants us to be people who are continually growing and being transformed. 4. God wants us to impact our community as we live missionally in our neighborhood Community Groups.

Here are two more key ideas of what God wants us to be in this next season. First, we believe He is calling us to even greater levels of generosity and financial stewardship. It’s essential for our church’s future influence that we become even more generous through our tithes and offerings if we’re going to have the impact God has laid on our hearts.

Second, we believe God wants us to raise the level of service inside our church, to serve those who come, and outside our church, to serve those who need to experience His love. I ask you to be in prayer as we continue these conversations.  Make it a point to set aside Sunday morning to be in church this week as we focus on courage.

Pastor Ron

This Week at Twin Cities - March 11, 2010

Hey Everybody,

Sunday was an amazing experience as we focused on being responsible through the difficulties in life. The music, drama and message all blended together to help inspire us and connect us to God. I don’t imagine many of us had our circumstances change as a result of Sunday, but my prayer is that we did change the way we respond.

Last week, I mentioned that our pastors and Leadership Team have been engaged in conversations about our church as we seek God’s guidance about our future. We are answering the questions, “What kind of people does God want us to become” and “what does He want us to do in this world?” I listed two things: He wants us to be people who are surrendered to Him in worship, and He wants us to give our lives away for those who need Him most.

Let me add more to that conversation. God also wants us to be people who are continually growing and changing as we’re being transformed into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. We must move forward in our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus and live in His Kingdom. Following Jesus has never been about how to have an “easy” life. It’s always required more than that.

God also wants us to be Followers of Jesus who impact the community. He wants us to concentrate our efforts and live strategically so others can come to know His love as we serve and sacrifice together. That’s one reason why this fall we’ll be changing our Small Groups to Community Groups. We want groups to be on mission in their neighborhoods.

Make sure set your clocks ahead one hour so you can be at church on time Sunday as we talk about how to endure in difficult times. 


Pastor Ron

This Week at Twin Cities - March 4, 2010

Hey Everybody,

I was thrilled on Sunday to watch as God used our new series to kick off our new ministry season. Thank you for loving people so much that you were willing to take a risk and invite your friends.

Our pastors and Leadership Team have been having many conversations lately as we seek God about our church and our future. We realize that we live in a day of great opportunity as we continue to go through this tough economic time. God placed us here to be His voice into the lives of people who need Him.

The biggest question I believe we face is this: “What kind of people does God want us to become, and what does He want us to do in this world?” It’s that simple. We believe God wants us to be people who are completely surrendered to Him. He wants our lives to be about worship. That’s who He wants us to become. We must continue to challenge ourselves to live for God’s pleasure discovered as we surrender our hearts fully to Him. That’s who He wants us to be.

What does He want us to do? He wants us to live for others. He wants us to be about serving the poor, and that’s not just those who are resource-challenged. The poor includes all who experience spiritual, physical, and emotional poverty. We must be actively and significantly caring for those who need Jesus Christ so they, too, can know His love.

In order to do this, we need to discover what it means to live generous and intentional lives. I look forward to this process of discovery. Be generous and intentional this week by inviting a friend to come and be encouraged.


See you Sunday,

Pastor Ron

This Week at Twin Cities - February 25, 2010

Hey Everybody,

It seems like yesterday that we had our Grand Opening service. That day was the beginning of an adventure I’m so glad to have taken. That was our first official Friend Day, and we’ve been celebrating Friend Day twice a year now for 18 years. That means Sunday is our 37th Friend Day.

Our church was birthed on that first Friend Day, and Glen and Bonnie Nicholls came with their kids to give church a try. They had never been part of a church before, but the flyer we mailed into their home drew them to give it a try. They kept attending, became Followers of Jesus, were baptized and became active members. They have since moved to Nevada, but two of their kids still attend and serve here.

Patrick and Lyndsey were just kids when they first came with their parents. We’ve watched them mature and grow in love with God and His church over these 18 years. Lyndsey is no longer a Nicholls, but now is a Barrett, and is also one of our key music leaders and soloists. She also serves on our graphics team, keeping our Twin Cities brand fresh. Patrick is now married to April and is one of our key staff team leaders. He serves as our IT Director, directs dramas, and is a Small Group Leader.

Folks, that is what Friend Day can do. It can change a life, direct a destiny, and secure a future in heaven for the person who came through an invitation. We sent flyers out to all your friends in the community last week for our new series. Please pray and then invite someone to come with you this Sunday. You never know if this is the week another life will be turned around.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Ron

This Week at Twin Cities - February 18, 2010

Hey Everybody,

When I was privileged to be part of the U6 team that traveled to Uganda last November, one task I was assigned was to speak to their church on Sunday morning. After praying and listening and praying some more, I finally heard God speak to me – “Tell them, no matter how things look, that I am with them and have a dream for their lives.” I had a great time preparing a message from God that turned out to be very intimate and inspiring. It came at a great time for me because it was during that trip that I processed Pastor David’s departure from our church to go to Fresno.

Well, this Sunday I’m going to give the American version of that same talk. It’s going to be a great close to our “Create Space” series. I am so thrilled at your responses to this series. In fact, this series helped us test the waters to see if we could experiment with things, change things up a bit, and help you in your walk to love God and love people. Based upon your encouraging responses, we’re going to offer more moments that are out of our ordinary routine which will allow you to take a Holy Spirit breath while you’re here on Sunday.  I am eager to have more moments like we experienced in this series.

I ask you to pray with me for those being invited to come to our church on February 28, Friend Day, as we begin the “Hang In There” series. Also, make sure to pray for those you plan to invite that God would give you an open door and that your friends would be receptive.

If you wonder if a trip to Uganda might be in your future, make sure to attend the information meeting this Sunday at 11:15.

Pastor Ron