The New Timber Ridge Kids Take-Home

Hey Timber Ridge Parents! I am pumped about a great new resource that our kids team is putting into place to help parents get involved in the spiritual growth of their kids. Each week the KidRidge team (grades k-6th) will be posting a weekly review online with ways you can engage your kids with the topic from the previous Sunday.  What a great way to help parents in leading their families spiritually!

Here's the first installment...Check it out!

#1: Watch this video with your kids. Trust me, they will want to see it again! Then read the story of Noah with your kids from the Bible in Genesis 7.  

#2: Talk about it as a Family. 

• How would the story have changed if Noah would have been talking when he was supposed to be listening to God?
• Are there times when we talk when we are supposed to be listening?  
• Think of some times when it is really important to listen.  How can we do a better job as a family of listening to God?

#3:  We talked about four expectations for KidRidge. See how many your kids can name. Here's the cheat sheet if they need some help:

1.  Listen Now, Talk Later

2.  Keep your nametag and wristband on

3.  Put others first

4.  Make a new friend

As a pastor and a parent, I'm so thankful we have a kid's ministry leaders who are helping to make it easier for us to talk about faith with our kids at home! Way to go team!

Leadership Links

I've spent a lot of time studying the topic of leadership lately. I sincerely want to be the best leader of the influence, time, and opportunity that God gives me to impact others.  In the past week, I've come across some great thoughts about leadership from a few incredible leaders across the nation. If you want to become a better leader, I'd definitely recommend taking a few minutes to check these out!

Leadership Links:

• 12 Leadership Principles of Jesus That Inspire Me by Ron Edmondson

• The 2 People You Gotta Have In Your Life by Artie Davis

• 4 Leadership Insights from Bill Hybels by Dave Ferguson

• Best Practices of Leading Down by John Maxwell

Timber Ridge V.O.W.

This week's Timber Ridge Volunteer of The Week is James Dudley!  James serves as a greeter on our Guest Services team, so you've probably seen him smiling and opening doors for people on Sunday mornings. James always goes above and beyond to make our guests and church attenders feel welcome and at home each week.  THANK YOU James for all that you do to serve and make an impact at Timber Ridge Church!

If you attend Timber Ridge & aren't currently serving on a ministry team, I want you to know that YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE by serving!  To get more info about serving & sign up for a team by clicking here.

James Dudley & Pastor Nic

Timber Ridge V.O.W.

This week's Volunteer of the Week (V.O.W.) at Timber Ridge is Landi Haynes.  Landi uses her gifts, talents, and energy each week to serve and lead areas in our preschool kids ministry.  If you have toddlers or younger children, Landi has certainly had an impact on their lives loving on your kids each Sunday.  She consistently goes above and beyond to make sure that our children have an incredible experience and learn about God in a loving, fun environment each week.  THANK YOU Landi for all you to do serve and make an impact at Timber Ridge Church!

Pastor Nic & Landi Haynes

Parenting Resources

In light of our recent series at Timber Ridge called Parenthood, I thought I'd share some parenting resources here on the blog.  If you are looking for some parenting wisdom, advice, and guidance, check out the following resources.  They're well worth your time!

Online Resources:

• Let Me Be The One To Say It Out Loud (A short blog post which I personally feel is parenting gold for parents who deal with any kind of "parenting guilt).
• 11 Practical Ways For Men To Lead A Family by Mark Driscoll
• 10 Things I'd Do If I Were Raising A Daughter Today  by Ron Edmondson

Books:

• For All Parents:  The Ten Commandments of Parenting: The Do's and Don'ts for Raising Great Kids by Ed Young
• For Dad's of Sons: King Me: What Every Son Wants and Needs From His Father by Steve Farrar
• For Dad's of Daughters:  Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker

2 Things Storm Victims Need

Our neighbors in Granbury, TX and further north in Moore, OK have been hit hard in the last few days with devastating tornadoes. It's in times like these that we can feel helpless to aid those who are hurting.

There are two things that we can all do to love our neighbors during these tragic times.

1. PRAY.  Don't just say you'll pray.  Really pray. Ask God to heal the physical and emotional pain that people are going through. Pray that God would bring peace and comfort in a time of turmoil and pain.
2. GIVE. The victims of these storms need our prayers...but they also need our CASH. Give generously to those in need, remembering that every single dollar counts. Together, our small donations can make a big impact.

If you are looking for somewhere to give that is trusted, reliable, and where your money will go directly to meet immediate needs, I suggest two places.

• Convoy Of Hope - Convoy of Hope is a faith-based, disaster relief organization that has served more than 55 million people in need since 1994. They are nationally reputable, trusted, and on the ground now in Oklahoma.
• North American Mission Board - NAMB is one of the most trusted, recognized organizations providing disaster relief in our country. They make every dollar count and have teams in Oklahoma on the ground now.

I can speak from experience that when we give to these organizations, it makes the most of our money & directly goes to helping people on the ground in these affected areas.

If you live locally and would like to make a difference by PRAYING and GIVING, I invite you join me this Thursday, May 23rd at 12 Noon at Beans and Franks at 1296 W. Washington.  Timber Ridge Church and Beans & Franks are partnering together to host a PRAYER TIME at noon on Thursday.  In addition to the time of prayer, if you wish to dine at Beans & Franks, a portion of all proceeds will be donated directly to the Oklahoma tornado relief efforts through Convoy of Hope.  Timber Ridge Church will also match the donation dollar for dollar.

4 Steps To Making A Difficult Decision

One thing is true about every single one of us: We all have to make difficult decisions from time to time.  The simple decisions come easy for most of us.  Things like what we're going to wear for the day, how we'll spend our weekend, and if we want fries with that.

But what about the tough decisions? What about life's difficult situations? How to we move forward and choose between what seems to be two great options?

Here are four steps I believe can help bring wisdom into the decisions we make:

1. Pray About It. Seems like the total church answer, right?  But there really is power in prayer. Spend some time praying to God and asking for His guidance. Then do something totally radical:  Listen.

I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to Him, and He answered my prayer. Psalm 120:1

2. Search God's Word. What does the Bible say about the decision I am making? Is there clear instruction in the Scripture that would guide me to one choice or away from a certain option?

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet, and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

3. Seek Wise Counsel. Get the advice of godly people whom you trust have your best in mind. Talk with them about the pros and cons of your decision and ask for their input and wisdom.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22

4. Pull The Trigger. Eventually you have to embrace the motto of Nike, the shoe company and JUST DO IT.  Go for it. Pray about it, consult God's Word, seek counsel from others and then trust God and go for it.  Make the decision.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

Timber Ridge V.O.W.

This week's Timber Ridge Volunteer of the Week is Vicki Jenkins.  Vicki serves in our guest services area, specifically on the cafe and hospitality team.  If you've ever been to a Timber Ridge service, you've probably seen Vicki's smiling face as you got a cup of coffee or a donut.  In fact, Vicki most likely made that coffee too!  Thank you Vicki for all your service and work to make the vision and mission of Timber Ridge a reality!  You rock!

Me, Vicki, & her husband Mike (who also serves a ton at Timber Ridge!)

Timber Ridge V.O.W.

This week's Timber Ridge Volunteer of The Week is Tim Arpin.  If you attend Timber Ridge, you can see Tim rockin' out on stage each week.  Whether it's lead guitar, bass guitar, or the ukulele, Tim faithfully serves by using his gifts and talents in music to help lead us in worship each week.  Tim also played a huge role in remodeling our current campus.

Thanks Tim for all you do to use your gifts, talents, & abilities to make a difference at Timber Ridge!  You ROCK!

From L to R: Tim's daughter Kristin, Tim and Pastor Micah

Let It Marinate

In the Gospel of John (John 15:5) Jesus says this:  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

That's a pretty powerful statement. Think about it: What Jesus is saying in this whole story of the vine & the branches (John 15:1-11) is that when we daily remain in Him, we'll be fruitful, effective, successful. But apart from that connection with Him, we can do nothing of real, eternal value: zero, zilch, nada.

Jesus is calling us to a connection with Him. And we do that through spending time in God's Word. Jesus isn't just calling us to simply skim through God's Word, but to truly connect with Him through it.

Jesus doesn't just want us to meditate on it...He wants us to marinate in it.  Jesus is calling us to immerse ourselves in God's Word, to let it soak into us & change us.

Think about it for a second: When you marinate a piece of meat to grill, that's exactly what you are doing.  You are allowing the marinade to soak into the food & change it. It gives it a new flavor!

Jesus is saying this to us:  Remain in me...daily, consistently, regularly...by marinating in God's Word so that I can give you a new outlook, a new heart, a new attitude...a new flavor!

I don't know about you, but I need that every day. If I'm going to be effective & fruitful, I can't do it on my own. I need to let it marinate!

(By the way, if you're looking for a simple plan to read & study the Bible, I'd encourage you to check out the REAP Plan by clicking here.)

Timber Ridge Volunteer of The Week

This past Sunday at Timber Ridge, we started a new tradition of recognizing one volunteer each week for their service & investment in helping accomplish the vision & mission God has given us. It's our way of saying thank you to an individual volunteer each week, as well as recognizing the importance and the investment that all our volunteers make!

Our first ever Timber Ridge Volunteer of The Week (VOW) is Jonna Vandiver!  Jonna serves weekly in our Timber Ridge Kids ministry with our preschool and nursery kids. She leads our kids with enthusiasm and tons of love. She's also one of the first people to step up and serve in other areas outside Sunday morning. She consistently invests and serves to make the vision God's given us at Timber Ridge become a reality.  THANK YOU Jonna! You're the Timber Ridge Volunteer of the Week!

Stay In The Loop

If you attend Timber Ridge, we want you to be connected, updated, and in the know to all the things God is doing in and through our church. We've got several ways you can stay connected and up to date on all things Timber Ridge!

5 Ways To Stay Connected & Up To Date

#1: Facebook: If you're on Facebook, be sure to go and "like" the Timber Ridge Facebook page found here.  It's a fantastic way to stay connected to all things Timber Ridge.

#2: The App: Yes, we have an app for that!  You can watch videos, connect with us on social media, read the blog, give and more with the Timber Ridge Church App.  Click here to get the app from the iTunes store for iPhone or iPad and click here to download the app in the android market for your phone or tablet.

#3: Twitter: Do you tweet? So do we! Click here to connect with us on twitter.

#4: Text Messaging: You can get updates, reminders, & announcements sent straight to your cell phone (2-3 per week), by texting "timberridge" to 33733 from your cell phone.

#5: Weekly Email Newsletter: We send out a weekly update that includes upcoming events, reminders, and a preview of our upcoming Sunday services each week. If you don't receive the weekly email, click here to sign up. It's a great way to stay connected and in the loop.

So what's keeping you from staying in the loop?  Be sure to take a few seconds now and connect with Timber Ridge via social media, texting, email, and the app so that you'll be able to connect with everything that God is doing at Timber Ridge Church!

A Letter To My Timber Ridge Family...3 Ways To Prep For Easter

Timber Ridgers,

To say that I am excited about the opportunity we have this weekend might be the understatement of the year!  I honestly believe that Jesus is going to change lives through our outreach efforts and our Easter Sunday services at Timber Ridge.  I'm pumped about what we'll get to experience together this weekend!

Here are 3 very significant ways that you can prepare to be a part of this life-changing Easter weekend:

#1:  Invite, Invite, Invite. Make it a priority to invite your friends, family, and co-workers to join you this Sunday for Easter at Timber Ridge.  They'll have a great experience and hear the life-changing message of Jesus!

#2: Pray, Pray, Pray. Pray for good weather for The mEGGa Hunt. Pray for people to respond to the invitation to come to church on Sunday. Pray and ask God to change lives on Easter Sunday.

#3: Move, Move, Move. If you regularly attend Timber Ridge, you know that the 10AM service seems to be everyone's favorite. If you attend this service, consider moving to the 8:45 or 11:30 service this Sunday in order to make more room for our guests. If you just have to be on the Timber Ridge campus at 10:00, you can always sign up to volunteer somewhere for that service!

I'm expecting our BIG God to move in BIG ways this weekend...and I'm glad you're a part of this incredible movement of God!

Blessings,
Pastor Nic

The Language of Love

Yesterday at Timber Ridge, we wrapped up our most recent series From Roommate To Soulmate.  We talked about how to communicate love to those closest to us and examined this truth:

It's not enough to simply EXPRESS love.  We must EXPRESS love in a way that those closest to us EXPERIENCE it.

(You can watch the message by clicking here.)

Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, has several excellent resources that help us learn how to communicate love.  If you would like to take a short, less-than-five-minute quiz to help you determine your own love language (or even your child's love language), I encourage you to click here. 

When it comes to your marriage & relationships, don't settle for simply expressing love.  Learn to express love in a way that those closest to you actually experience it!

The Power of Yes and No

I'm currently working to transform my use of two words: YES and NO.  Two simple, small words that pack so much power in our lives.  Here's what I mean:

A little over a year ago I heard one of my mentors say, "For every single yes that you say, you are saying thousands of nos."  

He explained it to me this way:  When you said yes to marrying your spouse, you said no to thousands of other people.  When you said yes to your career choice, you said no to thousands of other possibilities.  When you say yes to that work meeting at night, you are saying no to time with your kids and wife.  Every yes carries with it so many more nos.  In that conversation, my mentor challenged me to realize that when I say yes once, I am saying a ton of nos at the same time. One YES packs a lot of power.

So here's how I am trying to balance The Power of Yes and No in my own life at the moment.

I am working hard to say yes in a few areas.  When someone approaches me with an idea or dream God has given them, I want to say YES!  I want to be a person who gives them the divine go-ahead.  When someone has a God-given idea or God inspires me with a vision of what could be, I want to have enough margin in my life to say YES.  When people close to me need my time, focus, & attention, I want to be able to respond with a loud and proud YES!

And here's what I've realized in this process: To say YES to the areas & people in my life that are most important, I have to learn to say NO a lot more.  I have to say NO to things that can become a distraction, to things that aren't the most important, and to things that drain the margin in my life and prohibit me from saying YES to what God's called me to.  In short, being able to say YES to the God-things means saying NO to what are sometimes good things.  

Yes and No:  Two simple words that pack the power of life.

Marriage Resources

This past Sunday we kicked off a brand new series at Timber Ridge called From Roommate To Soulmate.  (You can watch Sunday's message here.)  Over the next few weeks we'll be discovering principles from God's Word that can move us from stuck in a rut to happily ever after.

While the series has principles for all of us - single, dating, married and all things in between - I want to share some marriage resources today for those in the married crowd.

Here are a few great resources that can help you maximize your marriage and take it to the next level.  No matter how great - or how strained - your marriage might be, I encourage you to check these resources out!

1. Refine Us - A website, blog, & marriage resource site that aims to restore hope & renew relationships in marriages.  
2. Marriage On Ice - Gary Chapman offers some great insight in this article about how to work through difficulties when it feels like your marriage has gone cold.
3. 8 Things That Destroyed Our Marriage - This free e-book shares the real life challenges that led to destruction in the marriage of Justin & Trisha Davis of RefineUs.org.
4. Making Marriage Work - A quick, 3-minute video from Pastor Rick Warren on how to make marriage work.

Jesus At The Center

This past Sunday at Timber Ridge Church we kicked off a brand new series called Triple Dog Dare.  In the first week I dared people NOT to put Jesus first this year.  Yes, you read that right.  If it sounds crazy, heretical, or weird to you, then I encourage you to check out the message HERE.

I've taken the dare myself for this year.  I'm refusing to put Jesus first as just one more priority in a long list of segregated items in my life.  Instead, I want Jesus to be the center.  I don't want Jesus THEN some other things in life.  I want Jesus IN all things in my life.  I want Jesus to be the center.

Here are just a few ways I'm seeking to live this out this year in a practical way:

• In My Relationships: IThis year I want to keep Jesus at the center of my relationships by loving people right where they are in life and by believing the best about the people God's placed in my life.
• In My Daily Life: If I'm going to keep Jesus at the center of my daily activity, then I have to spend time with Him each day.  I'm going to take my daily time in God's Word & in prayer to a new level.  And I'm excited to use the R.E.A.P. Bible Study plan we have at Timber Ridge as a tool to do that.  You can find out more about R.E.A.P. by clicking here.
• In My Outlook: I truly belief if Jesus was the center of our lives, our schedules & focus in life would change.  We'd spend more time with family & less time with Facebook.  We'd spend more time complimenting and less time complaining.  Keeping Jesus at the center means more time with the people who are most important, more time doing the things that matter most, and more time using my words to build people into the kingdom.

As I look forward to 2013, I want a year where Jesus is at the very center of all I am and of all I do.  These are just a few areas I'm thinking through as I make this commitment for the new year.  I'd love to hear how you plan to keep Jesus at the center this year.  Comment away and share your ideas & plans with us!

The Faces of My Best Gift - Part 3

This Sunday, December 16th, we will be receiving our My Best Gift Christmas Offering at Timber Ridge Church. This weekend, at both of our worship services, we have the opportunity to give our very best gift to Jesus this Christmas by receiving a special offering that is directed to impacting our community, state, and world.  100% of the funds received from our Christmas Offering will go to support the following 3 projects:

• School adoption & global work in Vietnam
• Church Planting in Marshall, TX and Toronto, Canada
• Helping hurting families locally by meeting physical needs

For the past few days I've been sharing the faces that will be impacted by our generosity. You can read Part 1 here and catch Part 2 here.  Today, I'm wrapping up this series of posts by sharing with you one last set of faces that will be directly impacted by our giving to the Christmas Offering at Timber Ridge.

These are the faces of the children of Sapa, Vietnam. I personally took this picture back in October while on a Vision trip to see how our church could go serve in a difficult place and make an impact in Vietnam. We have a very unique opportunity to make a long term impact by adopting a school in the Sapa area of Vietnam. It's a beautiful, but rural area of Vietnam that has great need. By adopting a school, we'll be able to help children just like these. We'll be able to make sure they have enough food to eat. We'll be able to make sure they have clean water to drink. We'll be able to make sure they have safe & usable facilities. Our generosity will literally impact the world.

Back in Matthew 25, I remember Jesus saying something about when we feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and care for the sick and poor, we are actually serving Him. We have an incredible opportunity before us in Vietnam to make a great impact in our world.

If you attend Timber Ridge Church, I hope you'll join me in praying for and giving toward our My Best Gift Christmas Offering this Sunday. Together, we can make a great impact by generously giving our very best to Jesus this Christmas.

The Faces of My Best Gift - Part 2

Sunday, December 16th is a big day in the life of Timber Ridge Church and it's rapidly approaching! It's the day that we will be receiving our My Best Gift Christmas Offering at Timber Ridge Church. On Sunday, December 16th, we'll give our very best gift to Jesus this Christmas by receiving a special offering that is directed to impacting our community, state, and world.  100% of the funds received from our Christmas Offering will go to support the following 3 projects:

• School adoption & global work in Vietnam
• Church Planting in Marshall, TX and Toronto, Canada
• Helping hurting families locally by meeting physical needs

I wanted to share with all my Timber Ridge family and other friends the faces of our My Best Gift offering. These are the people who are directly impacted by our generosity and giving. 

You can read about the first two church plants we'll be supporting HERE.

But today, I want to share with you another face of My Best Gift:

This is Kitsy Tuck (She's the tall one). If you attend Timber Ridge Church regularly, then you probably recognize Kitsy. She's a partner at Timber Ridge & she's been plugged in, faithfully serving and making a difference, since the beginning of our church. You may recognize her from helping with community events, being involved in our college group, or serving each week with our toddlers and younger children. Kitsy is graduating from TSU this semester with a degree in special education. She'll be heading to Vietnam in February to use her degree, her experience, and her love for kids to serve others and impact her world. She'll be teaching special education methods to teachers at Hanoi University, as well as working with orphans and school children in Hanoi. Kitsy is spending 4 months in Vietnam and is fundraising the entire costs of this opportunity to go and serve the world.

A portion of our My Best Gift offering will go to help Kitsy as she serves special education teachers and children in Hanoi. It's an incredible opportunity we get to support and send one of our very own Timber Ridgers! 

I'm pumped about this opportunity to send one of our very own and I hope you'll generously consider being a part of sending Kitsy to make a difference on the other side of our globe!

The Faces of My Best Gift - Part 1

In just a matter of days, we will be receiving our My Best Gift Christmas Offering at Timber Ridge Church. On December 16th, we'll give our very best gift to Jesus this Christmas by receiving a special offering that is directed to impacting our community, state, and world.  100% of the funds received from our Christmas Offering will go to support the following 3 projects:

• School adoption & global work in Vietnam
• Church Planting in Marshall, TX and Toronto, Canada
• Helping hurting families locally by meeting physical needs

Over the next few days, I want to share with you the faces of our My Best Gift Offering by introducing you to some of the people we will support.  Today I'd like to introduce you to two families.

Meet Daniel Yang & his beautiful family.  Daniel is a church planter who is moving to Toronto in January to start a brand new church there. Toronto is Canada's largest city, where 1 million residents are either Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists, Jewish, Sikh, or unchurched.  The opportunity for impact through church planting in this city is immense!  (If you attend Timber Ridge, you may recognize Daniel & his family as they were with us one Sunday while I was in Vietnam back in October.)

Meet James Cotten & his lovely family. James is currently planting The Heights Church in Marshall, TX, which just launched one month ago. 25% of people in Marshall live below the poverty level and it is a city with strong racial tension. There is a great need for a church to minister to people regardless of race and economic status and that's the heart of James & The Heights Church.

Two unique stories. Two unique families. Two unique callings.  And two unique faces of our My Best Gift Christmas Offering.  If you attend Timber Ridge, I hope you're prayerfully considering how God can use your generosity to make an impact in Toronto, in Marshall, and around the world!