Today, we remember. And we celebrate. We’re free to live and move and worship and work and learn and earn and speak and love.

Thanks to all those brave men and women in the past and the present who are sacrificing for the freedom we enjoy today!

I’m getting together tonight with friends and family to watch the Kyle fireworks display (one of the few shows in our area happening tonight), renewed in my thankfulness for freedom and for the freedom we have in Christ. Let us never take it lightly!

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Many people ask, “Why would we do a series that leverages Hollywood to teach Biblical principles?” Well, Hollywood pours millions of dollars into marketing their product and they capture the attention of our culture. We get to piggyback on that interest to teach something deeper that can really change lives. But also, movies are modern-day parables. Matthew 13:34 says that, “Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables.” Jesus used the power of a good story to teach a more important spiritual truth.

This is the perfect time to invite your friends to check out what’s happening. Trust me, they’ll be interested!

This Summer, you can either glide through, or you can make the choice to grow in your walk with God like never before. I look forward to seeing you this week as we get behind the blockbuster movies to find the spiritual truths that can lead us to have a stronger connection with God and with others.

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1. Why The World Isn’t Ending This Weekend

With growth comes some growing pains, and one of those is balancing our 2 Sunday morning services at 9:30 & 11. This past Sunday, there were 40% more people in the second service than the first. So, while we were packed out at 11, there were plenty of seats open at 9:30.

So I’m asking those of you who call The Connection Church your home to make what we call a “missionary move” to the early service.  This will help balance the services and provide someone with a much-needed chair. It will also help us stave off our inevitable jump to 3 services for a while longer.

So for clarity, if you’ve been attending the 2^nd service, would you please adjust your schedule to attend the 1^st service? You can always stick around and serve during the second hour if you’d like.

When you get there early, the donuts and coffee are fresher. See you this Sunday morning at 9:30!

* By the way, I can’t wait for the day when we get our own chairs, and enough of them, to go along with our new location. And of course, those will come as we give toward our vision of seeing our county changed one life at a time!

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This week, we started a new message series called “KIDstruction: Raising Indestructible Kids” all about the building blocks of parenting. We had a great kickoff on Mother’s Day, that you can watch here if you missed it.

Every successful building project begins with the foundation. If the foundation is solid, then, no matter what happens in the future, the foundation will remain. As parents, it’s our job to lay that rock solid foundation in place in our homes as soon as we can.

How can we do that?

First, center your life around God and His Word. That means in every area: schedule, friendships, media, finances, and work. You can think of it like the spokes of a wheel with every spoke attached to the center. God will hold your life and family together when you put Him at the very center.

Second, establish family values. Every family has values, but many of them are unspoken and loosely defined. As a result, no one really knows what they are. You can make a list of the non-negotiables and the goals in your family. Let me give you a hint, it’s not just to survive. God wants to use your whole family to make a difference for Him. With clear, biblical values in place, your family can be extraordinary in making a difference.

Never underestimate the value of a strong foundation! And make sure you don’t miss a single message in this series to continue building an indestructible family. We’re meeting at Hemphill Elementary at 9:30am and 11:00am. See you there!

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Let’s see if you can guess:

Yes, the answer of course is “3″! At 9, 10:15, and 11:30. With a 15 minute passing period in-between.

And we’re going to continue offering these 3 service times throughout the “CHAINged” series for 5 weeks. Then, our prayer is that we’ll be ready to move into the new building on Mother’s Day and move back to 2 services.

Why 3 services when we’re so close to moving locations? Well, when you get down to it, that’s the reason! It would be easy to just coast until we make the move. But now is not the time to slack up or be comfortable. We have to make room for the people who will be coming for Easter and as a result of our connections through The Big Hunt. Our setup time will still be at 7am, we’ll just need all hands on deck to hustle to create the TCC environment.

You can commit to come to the early service (9am) so we’ll have the seats available during the prime times of 10:30 and 11:15. You can even stick around for one or both of the other times to serve.

So how many services? Bottom line: We’ll have as many services as it takes to see Hays County changed one life at a time!

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At one time, the Jewish people were not allowed to even read Song of Solomon because of its steamy content. But, today, you hear explicit talk everywhere you turn. And yet most people will admit that they’re like Mick Jagger and “Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” And in our age of Sexual Revolution, people are more frustrated and unfulfilled than ever.

Right now, there’s a song on the charts from Trey Songz called “I Invented Sex.” I’ve got news for you, don’t believe him. God is the One who invented sex. And He knows how it’s best.

At TCC, we never shy away from addressing real life issues and neither does God’s Word. So over the next six weeks, we’re going to dig into what God has to say about sex and relationships. And I’m already pumped about the potential this series has to take our marriages (or if you’re single, your future marriage) to a Whole ‘Notha Level!

I’ll see you this Sunday as we kick it off with “The Spark of Attraction” at 9:30 and 11am!

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TCC's First Celebration at Hemphill

Sunday was a great day of victory with our first day at our new temporary location. There was a great “feel” with many new faces. The vibe was a return to the days when we used to meet at Tobias. So I want to give you the top 10 reasons we like being at Hemphill for now:

10) It gets us Lean, Mean, and Back to Basics. We get to remember that we’re not about buildings.  At the core, we’re all about seeing lives changed. TCC has never been about all the bells and whistles. We’re flexible and can adapt to whatever environment we’re in. We’re going to see more growth while we’re at Hemphill.
9) The Bathrooms are “Fun-Sized.” Only in an elementary school can you relive your early years of school with miniature toilets.
There’s more Freedom and Less Rush. Now, we’ve got more time to connect with each other in a relaxed atmosphere, something that TCC has always been about. This move helps us do what we do best.
7) Indoor Baptism! We can move into the warm school for baptism instead of being outside in the freezing cold. Sign up for our next baptism on January 31st.
6) Serve a Service, Attend a Service. Moving to a smaller meeting space gets us back where everyone can serve every week and still get to be a part of worship. Are you plugged into a ministry team?
5) Interactive Sermons. Yes, occasionally I accidentally spit when I’m speaking. When we are this close, everyone can personally get involved in the message.
4) Saving Money. Because it’s not as expensive to rent the school, we’re able to save the difference to invest in our soon-to-be location. Give online here.
3) No More Rattlesnakes. By the time we left the PAC, there had been over 30 rattlesnakes found since the start of school this year. We even found one in Volunteer Central.
2) A Missionary Move for our Future. AT TCC, we do Whatever It Takes to fulfill God’s vision. It’s never about our comfort. It prepares us for our future, but while we’re there, we want to reach as many people in the surrounding area as possible.

And the number 1 reason we’re glad to be at Hemphill for now is:

1) Coffee and Donuts in the Service. Yes, now you can stay hyped up on caffeine and sugar during the Celebration Service!

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Have you ever found yourself doing something you didn’t want to do? And then feeling guilty about it but doing it again and again? Do you wonder if you’ll ever be free from those chains? Everybody struggles with something? It’s the human condition. And it seems like as soon as you think you’ve got one problem solved, another one rears its ugly head. Welcome to life. Yeah, I know it’s not the most encouraging blog post, but it’s reality.

But in the middle of our mess, Jesus has a solution. Jesus begins the greatest sermon ever preached with a list of principles that he says will bring us extreme happiness and life. They’re called the Beatitudes and we’re going to be looking at them one by one over the next 8 weeks.

This Sunday, we’re kicking off our newest series called “Remedy: Living Free From Addictions” all about healing our hurts, hang-ups, and habits that are keeping us in bondage and keeping us from God’s best. I’ve been looking forward to doing this series ever since the start of The Connection Church because I know that this is right where people are. I cannot wait to see what God is gonna do in our lives.

Let me personally invite and encourage you to do whatever you have to to be with us this Sunday at TCC for the start of this new series. This is the perfect week to invite as many people as you can to come along with you. We want to pack the house with people because we know God wants to do some life-changing. I’ll see you there.

For more info, check out our website and our Facebook page.

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1. Can You Find God on Film?

I’m starting this new series that is a walk through the book of Philippians, all about how to experience real joy, something that is much needed in our life and times. This is also the series where we’re pioneering a new way of doing Connection Groups, and I’m excited about getting back into groups after a little down-time.

If your life feels like it’s a fixer-upper, don’t miss The Connection Church over the next 4 weeks.

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You have to sing this post title to the tune of the Subway jingle. And by great, I’m not talking about TCC being great (though I believe it is), I’m talking about how great our God is who thought up TCC and who has made it all possible, at least the parts that are good.

Sunday was the celebration of the 5th Birthday of The Connection Church. Actually, we launched on September 12, 2004 with 145 people at our first weekly service. I laugh when I think back to that time when I was so clueless about the experiences and friendships God had in store for me and so many others who’ve come along on this journey, so far. I can honestly say that if I had the chance to do it over again, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

On Sunday, we got together to celebrate the difference that God has made in each of our lives through this family of faith. We met at Texas Old Town in a building that they built this last year. Thanks to Rene Rodriguez and Shep West, the signs clearly pointed the way from the PAC to the party. In a venue that was smaller than our usual room, the atmosphere was electric. We actually had a major jump in attendance that I know is an affirmation of good things to come in the months ahead. We also saw some guests and some faces we hadn’t seen in a while. The band was in the groove and led us right to the throne of God. The community was in sync with one passionate purpose. And the brisket was without a doubt the very best I’ve ever tasted thanks to Andy Rhoades and Eric Oineon. While I’m giving props (of which I’m leaving tons of people out) I also want to mention Trey and Jen for coordinating the lunch details. And it was topped off with a personalized TCC logo cake made by Frances Geiger with a little guy that looked a little like Charlie Brown, but I’m pretty sure was me due to the tie-dye psychadelic shirt. That was a loving tribute that was a little scary that she nailed my fashion sense so spot on.

Today, I feel like we are still just now getting started and seeing glimpses of the future that God has planned for TCC and this region. I’m so thankful for the connectors at TCC! Let’s ramp it up and make the connection!

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