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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All I Need from Cole Phillips on Vimeo.

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Kris Allen Singing “God Of This City” {American Idol} from Rick Smith on Vimeo.

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Chris went to a church a little as a kid, but has been disconnected for many years. 3 weeks ago, we were talking and I found out he was going to be in town. He sat in with the band and he was a great fit. God got a hold of him that first Sunday with us so that when I asked him what he thought, he said: “You know we usually have a beer before I play in the clubs I’m in and on Sunday we said a prayer together instead. And I love it!” I talked with him last night and asked his permission to write what he told me. He said he was watching the video of the baptisms on Sunday and something stirred in his heart to be baptized. He has been talking with God through prayer several times a day. And when his wife asked him what’s going on with him, he told her, “I love Jesus!” Something awesome is happening in Chris’ life!

God is in the business of changing lives! And he’s using The Connection Church to do it! Chris’ story is just one of many people who’ve started a relationship with God through Jesus this summer. And I know there are so many more like him who are ready to step across that line of faith.

This Sunday, I’m going to do my very best, depending on God, to present a very clear message about what it means to believe in Jesus. I am begging you, do whatever it takes to get your unchurched friends, family and neighbors to TCC on Sunday morning. God is going to do it again and forgive and change lives this Sunday. All it takes is a simple invitation to make an eternal difference and there’s nothing else like it in the world than knowing that you’ve had a part in what God is doing. Be a good neighbor. Be a good friend. Make the BIG ASK and bring someone with you this week.

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1. New York State of Mind

Len began by asking us for a biblical image of Jesus singing. He sang after the Last Supper. But we don’t usually consider that Jesus sang Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” which is the first line of the Psalm, like the title that brings to mind the entire song. Keep in mind that you don’t quote the Psalms, you sing them. Psalms is a hymnbook.

Metaphor is metamorphosis. We think in pictures, not words. Think of your dreams: they are pictures, not words. So, as we help paint new visual pictures, God changes lives. For the Christian, image is everything. Jesus is the perfect image of the invisible God. We are to perform brain surgery, or soul surgery, as we put truth to song and image. Our mind is composed of metaphors.

A worship leader’s role is to put images and metaphors to sound. We are to “Keep Austin Weird” by making the familiar strange. What we are familiar with needs to be reexamined so we can see it in fresh ways. The Russian word is “ostranenie“.

Jesus was a master at metaphor ministry. He always taught with pictures and stories. He always said, “You’ve heard it said (the familiar), but I say to you (the strange)…”

• 1 billion people live on $1 a day.
• 1 billion seconds ago, the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan.
• 1 billion minutes ago, Jesus walked the planet.
• 1 billion dollars ago, was a just a few minutes ago that our government has spent.
• 1 billion Cokes ago, was yesterday morning.

7 Metaphors for the Future

1) Design – we design everything, even our toilet bowl cleaners. Style is substance today. We need designer lives, designed by Jesus.

2) Transformation – the image of the pearl in the oyster

3) Pilgrim – Followers. We’ve had 30 years of “leadership” but a better Biblical image is of a disciple who is first a follower of Jesus. We lead from behind Jesus. And sometimes you’re called to the front of the line, but you still follow.

4) Connection – The image is the web. (I especially like this one.) In 1973, the first cell phone call was made. Today, half the world’s population has a cell phone and then in addition, some in third world countries have a small sim card and share phones.

5) Organic – the image of the apple. The past was like an orange which you peel and it’s segmented. Life used to be segmented. Education used to be segmented. (A professor is seminary actually had me diagram the parables, which flies in the face of what Jesus’ teaching was all about.) You eat an apple whole, peel and all.

6) Wind – the image is the Spirit. You build a church from the sound up. We are sound theologians. Spirit comes first. The Word became flesh.

7) Harmony – When you sing harmony, you sing different notes, different rhythms, different times, different words, sometimes different pages but all to sing the same song of praise to the Lord. Don’t think in terms of job descriptions but in terms of making music together. The different parts bring harmony. How well does your spirit fit together with others?

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Rene was gone this Sunday to a Christian music festival and will be gone again next week. We’ve got another guy, Jason Hooton, filling in who plays in a local metal band. He and his incredible wife (who is rocking it out on our kids team) recently joined our church family and has been serving on the media team. He’s pumped about playing this week and so are we.

Rene has been giving us a steady backbeat and pounding to oblivion since the day we launched TCC. At the time he was 14 years old. I remember being blown away when I first heard him play with our band. He’s always used his own set of drums, bringing them back and forth each week. At the end of 2006, some TCC peeps poured into his life by providing him a really great kit complete with cases and cymbals. Rene couldn’t have been more proud of those drums.

Last week, some punks broke into their home and took all of Rene’s drums. When they took those drums, they really were hitting him in his heart, because those drums were not just instruments, they were dedicated to the Lord to lead us in worship every week. But what those thieves meant for evil, God will use for good (Genesis 50:20). There’s already been an outpouring of support to go above and beyond and get more than just replacements, but something even better than before. Rene will be back on his (drum) throne on July 13 with an awesome new set of drums!

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Check out the guitar cam!

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