The July 4th weekend is upon us! It’s time to celebrate the blessings of living in the land of the free and the home of the brave! As you celebrate with family and friends be sure to pause and pray for the many in the armed forces that are giving their lives to protect our freedom around the world. God has blessed our nation through the sacrifices of many who have gone before us. Never forget freedom isn’t free!
This Sunday at TNC we will pause in our services to celebrate, honor and pray for our country. I hope you will make plans to attend if you are in town! We will also be kicking off an important summer series, entitled, T.R.U.E.N.O.R.T.H. and I’m fired up about it! As we prepare to celebrate our 5 year anniversary in August it’s fitting that we RECAST THE VISION OF TRUENORTH CHURCH! What are we called to do? Who are we called to be? What are the values that make us TrueNorth? Have we drifted from those values? Do these values still drive what we do today? As a staff we unanimously agree that we all NEED TO STOKE THESE FLAMES! As your pastor there is nothing that excites me more than talking about the vision of “who we are”, “what we are doing” and “where we are going”. I can’t wait to see you Sunday!!
Shoot your fireworks on Saturday and be sure to be in attendance at TNC on Sunday! It’s going to be a day to remember our freedom as an American and as a follower of Jesus!
Celebrating our Freedom!
Steve Davis, Lead Pastor
So we just got back from Guatemala and I'm trying to summarize a week's worth of relationships, construction and God into a few words. There were 24 total – 14 Americans and 10 Guatemalans. It was a huge trip that pulled 2 cultures together for the sole purpose of glorifying God. Since our next series is all about what T.R.U.E.N.O.R.T.H. stands for, here’s how we saw TNC on our trip.
Trusting – There was a whole lot of trusting going on. From the parents that let their kids go on this trip, to the trip leaders trusting God to provide unity for a diverse group, the only way this trip could have worked was to trust in Him.
Responsible – Not me – the kids. We are so proud of all the students that were with us – and you moms and dads should be, too. They worked hard, played hard and definitely went out of their comfort zones! Whether you prayed, lead a team or hung out with new friends, we are proud of all of you!
Unpredictable – From lost luggage to pick-up basketball games with someone who didn’t speak English; from an orphanage full of special needs kids to being held up by banditos (ok – the last one didn’t happen), every day was a lesson in being flexible. Missions Rule #1 – be flexible!!
Excitement – mixed with a little nervousness of the unknown. So many on the team had never been on a missions trip, never been out of the country, never been on a plane. So kudos to all of you who turned fear into excitement of the unknown.
New family – Ok, that’s two words. But as many trips as we have been on, we are always amazed at the way so many diverse people come together so quickly and so easily. In a world full of selfishness, it is so humbling to see what can be accomplished when we let go of ourselves and only seek God’s will.
Optimistic – We broke a lot of new ground this trip; New relationships, new locations, new horizons. We are so excited to see what God has in store for the Los Gozosos Project and for Guatemala Bible Seminary. We pray that others continue the work we started and that God pours out His blessings on both places.
Resilient – Rain or shine, early or late, our team of 24 worked until the job was done. Whatever the job, we persevered with God’s strength. There were a lot of days with tired muscles, but no days without smiles. I think our group could have stayed another month and not been exhausted!
Traditions – While new cultures, customs and traditions can be exciting at first, it’s easy to start missing Chick-Fil-A and HDTV. But everyone jumped into their new surroundings and ate, drank and slept Guatemalan with no complaints. I think God truly blessed our trip because we all embraced whatever He put in front of us. And more than one of us became addicted to Rosa de Jamaica, Arroz con leche and homemade Tortillas con caso.
Hard-working – While we all didn’t pour concrete, we all did jump in. Our team knocked out tons of jobs, from painting, to making a garden, to putting up cinder block walls, to pouring concrete columns, to dog training. And everyone pulled their weight, regardless of the task. I know a lot of the team tried new things they had never done before – and did them well!
Thanks again to all our team, whatever country you are from. You made the trip one of the best experiences of our lives. And if you haven’t been, I wish we could take every one of you at least once to experience God in a whole new way. I pray that everyone who went came home a different person – I know we did!
Katie and David Czapala
Leaders for June Guatemala Missions Trip
Watch messages online at http://www.truenorthchurch.com.
As followers of Christ, we are children of God; as children of God, we possess the power of the Alimighty Creator. In other words, we are strong because we have His strength. Throughout the Bible, there are accounts of people who have unleashed this awesome power in their lives: David, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Caleb, Joshua, Daniel, Elijah and others. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (ESV).
In Revelation 21:7, the Lord speaks of the power to conquer that the Christ follower has: The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. In our lives, being strong and conquering may be as smple as talking to neighbors, building relationships and telling people about Jesus. As Christians, we should be known as strong because our God is strong.
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8). Are we strong, or are we do we have the traits of the cowardly?
Some of what we take into consideration for not following God are the things He ordains we cannot get a grip around. We must remember, though, that we were all created by Him, and that God does whatever He wants. As an old preacher on the radio who was mentioned in the message would say, God has a plan, and God has a universe. You may have a better plan, but you don't have a universe.
[...] for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can say, "What have you done?" And no one can hold back his hand (Daniel 4:35 ESV).
There is a gap between the Creator and created, but God has the power to fill it, and with that power, His strength is unleashed in us. Here is a glimpse of His strength and Sovereignty from 1 Timothy 6:15: [...] he who is blesses and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion (NKJV).
God is so strong and so definitie, He has able to swear to Himself (Isaiah 45:22-23). We, as the created, are to be strong and courageous:
Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:6-9).
Once again, TrueNorth Church was featured in the news from the Guatemalans' visit here.
This time, it was North Augusta Today. Click here to read the article.
Did you catch this article in last Friday's edition of the Augusta Chronicle?
If not, click here and read all about it!
Watch messages online at http://www.truenorthchurch.com.
Empowering? Performance-based? Absent? Abusive? Passive? Do any of these words describe your earthly father and your relationship with him? Does he empower you in a way that helps the trajectory of your life move forward? Do you try to find his certainty in doing the right thing in your performance? Maybe your father is pursuing his own life and not around. Perhaps his manipulative ways have wounded you, and he has left you feeling at fault about things. If your father is absent or abusive, you may have an erosion of trust in men, or lack of self-esteem, as a result. Do you have a passive father who lacks leadership?
We have been created with an innate desire to be blessed by our earthly fathers. The blessings of a father are affirmation, approval, acceptance, active participation and spoken belief--we need to hear our fathers tell us they love us and are there with us and for us. Jesus' Father blessed Him through spoken belief in Matthew 3:17: And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'
There is a need for us to respond to our Heavenly Father that is often distorted by the viewpoints of our earthly fathers. Our Heavenly Father is perfect, but it's easy for that to get lost in translation when we try to view Him through the image of our earthly fathers. This is one of Satan's greatest tools, as we are meant to have a fatherly relationship with God, and he takes destructive experiences many have had with their earthly fathers and uses them to distort this expression of God's love for us. This increases difficulty of being as close to God as we can be.
Throughout Scriptures, Jesus refers to God as "Father" 189 times. In Matthew 5:48, He says, be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. John 14:9 says, anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. We are given an example of God's perfect love in 1 John 3:1: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
The Bible gives an example of the love of earthly fathers and the Heavenly Father in Matthew 7:11: If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Everything the Heavenly Father says is true. Everying He does and every motive He has is pure. Everything He heard He understands. When He disciplines it's always fair and it's always for the best. Everything He promises He delivers on. He will never leave or forsake you. This is what Jesus may say about His Father.
There is always hope in the Heavenly Father. Psalm 27:10 says, though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.
We have a new power in our lives, and can stand under Him.
And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir (Galatians 4:6,7).
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness (2 Peter 1:3).
Watch messages online at http://www.truenorthchurch.com.
Even when the world around us screams otherwise, can we still trust God? The answer to this question is essential to our faith, as pointed out in last Sunday's message by Any Stanley in the One Prayer series. The Bible is full of accounts of tough times that do not lead to a big payoff right away, if at all this side of Heaven. Moses, as a baby, was sent down a river. Joseph, as a teenager in the Old Testament, was trapped in the bottom of a well and debated about being killed. Jesus, in His last days here, saw His death coming. Jesus' disciples watched the ministry of His decrease in popularity and realized that if He went down, they were going with Him.
It is very possible to go through situations in our lives where we question the certainty of God. What we need to remember in these times are the words of Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Although the betterment of our situations may not be seen, it is essential to know that God is at work in everything. The world is in His hands, and that includes our job security, money, kids' education and everything that is a part of our lives. We are in the hands of God, as we have been since the beginning, and will continue to be. God is certain.
This Sunday, in a Father's Day message of the One Prayer series, Steve Davis will be sharing with us how God is Father. Bring your dad and your "fish" to TrueNorth as we continue this series, united with churches around the world.
June 5th, this summer's first Regional Missions Team left for
Why Charleston, you ask? Because of our partnership with Water Missions International and Dream Center at Seacoast Church. This trip is a great family-friendly way to serve the world without leaving the state.
This time, the team helped with 5 water systems that were sent to Sri Lanka. Click HERE for more of the story. Everyone helped, whether you have engineering skills, an
The next trip to
Charleston is leaving July 31st and the cost is
$200 for the entire
week. It's not too late to sign up now! For more information, email Mike Fiedler at impact@truenorthchurch.com.
-TrueNorth Missions
Watch messages online at http://www.truenorthchurch.com.
Have you ever asked yourself, why would God love someone as bad as me? His love is something that is often easier for us to see attainable for other people. We hear, God loves you, and see where God can love someone else, but not ourselves. The answer to why God would love us is three words long: God is love.
... God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:8-10 NIV).
The love of God has nothing to do with any bad stuff we've done, how sinful we are or how unworthy we may feel. Love isn't just what God does, it's who He is.
God's love covers your sins: But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy (Titus 3:4-5 NIV). The very appearance of His love is transforming.
If you're asking, why would God love someone so insignificant? (Exodus 3:11; 1 Chronicles 29:14 NIV), know that it is God's love that makes you significant. His love makes you who He wants you to be, and your significance makes you one God is going after.
I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness (Jeremiah 31:3 NIV).
Look at the words of John 3:16. As the verse begins with, for God so loved the world..., replace world with your name: For God so loved [Your Name] that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (NIV).
God is love, and we love because He first loved us. God will tell you He loves you if you listen close enough.
This Sunday we begin a new series entitled ONE PRAYER. It is unlike any message series that we do all year. We will be joining over 1,500 churches across the US and around the world as we consider these four questions in June. Is God love? Is God certain? Is God Father? Is God strong? The messages will be viewed via video (except on Father’s Day when I speak live.
This Sunday we will be hearing a message from Pastor Craig Groschel entitled GOD IS LOVE! It is a powerful message that your FISH need to HEAR!!! I can’t say this LOUD ENOUGH get your friends, family, co-workers and anyone else who doesn’t know JESUS to TNC this Sunday. This just may be the day they come face to face with the LOVE OF JESUS for the first time! This is a SPECIAL MESSAGE that we all need to hear. I pray that you will be inviting each and everyone that you can between today and Sunday!! If you have to buy them lunch to get them here, buy them LUNCH! Do what you have to do? Eternity is at stake!!!!
I also ask you that you fervently pray for each service in this series, while seeking to attend each week if you are in town. We will be hearing from three of the best communicators of God’s Word in the world (in my humble opinion). YOU NEED TO HEAR WHAT GOD WANTS TO SAY TO YOU!! This is a tremendous opportunity for FOR EACH of us to get A FRESH PERSPECTIVE on how LOVING, GREAT, GOOD AND POWERFUL our GOD IS! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT GOD IS GOING TO DO IN MANY HEARTS THIS SUNDAY, I’M PRAYING THAT MANY HEARTS EXPERINCE HIS LOVE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!
GOD IS LOVE!
Steve Davis, Lead Pastor
