This Week @ Twin Cities Church - A "Taste" of Heaven

Hey everyone, “Is Heaven on Earth?” This was one of the common themes raised as people were able to voice their questions about Heaven. That is a pretty weighty question. One thing for certain, this is not Heaven. Since Heaven is described as a new Earth, then how can this Earth be Heaven? Even though we may feel exhilaration at our experiences now, they in no way compare to what the Bible describes Heaven to be like.

What we experience now is just a “taste” of Heaven. Heaven will have nature, mountains, rivers, plants, fruit, animals, flowers and people. It will be a place of incomparable beauty. Nothing compares to the beauty of Heaven.

All pain will be gone. There will be no more tears. No more suffering. No more pain. All joy will be known. There will be singing. There will be dancing. There will be wholeness.

I can’t wait for Heaven. At the same time, I don’t get to choose when I go. So, in the time between now and Heaven, I am asking God to help me make the most of this blur of hours and days and decades. I want my life to be the kind that when I go to Heaven, someone can say, “He gave God glory with his life.” It’s not a life of perfection or completion. It’s a life of devotion. Here’s my prayer: “God, help me to bring You glory in all I do. In everything I do, let it be an act of worship.”

I hope you will come Sunday. If you missed last week, make sure to watch or listen online so you’re caught up as we continue our series, “Unseen: Exploring the Realities of Heaven.” We will focus on the question, “What will relationships be like in Heaven?”

Looking forward to Heaven with you,

Pastor Ron

This Week @ Twin Cities Church - Exploring Heaven

Hey everyone, “Heaven sounds awesome! I can’t wait to go!” That was one of the comments someone wrote on Sunday after the first message in our Heaven series. As much as I agree, I wonder if that’s really how we feel. It’s like the pastor who asked the church, “Who wants to go to Heaven?” Everyone raised their hands except a 10-year-old boy. After the service the pastor asked him, “Son, don’t you want to go to Heaven?” The boy said, “Yes, but I thought you were asking if we wanted to go today!”

I believe that many of us are just like this boy. How do I know? Well, because I am. On Sunday, I asked you to keep in mind how the reality of Heaven changes us. It changes our perspective on possessions, people and pain. Ask yourself, “How much time and energy do I give to attaining and maintaining stuff that I can’t take to Heaven?” Ask, “How much time and energy do I give investing in the people I can take to Heaven?” Ask, “How do I react to the pain of this world?” Your answers to those questions show the direction of your heart – toward Heaven or Earth.

Our theme verse for last Sunday was from Colossians 3, “Think about the things of Heaven, not the things of Earth.” What a challenge. Can we do that? It will take discipline, but it will also require knowing more about Heaven.

I hope you will come Sunday – if you missed make sure to watch or listen online to last week so you’re caught up—as we continue our series, “Unseen: Exploring The Realities of Heaven.” We will focus on the question, “What will I do in Heaven? Will Heaven be boring?”

Looking forward to Heaven with you,

Pastor Ron

This Week @ Twin Cities Church - UNSEEN

Hey everyone, Easter! Wow! I want to thank you for your amazing generosity toward our Helping Our Neighbors Easter Food Drive. We took over a packed trailer and two pickup loads of food to help replenish the empty shelves over at Interfaith Food Ministry. The volunteers at Interfaith wanted to express their gratitude and appreciation. You blessed them, and they were able to turn that blessing around and help many of our neighbors this week.

As I wrote notes on Tuesday to all the first and second time guests who visited us for Easter, I was HUMBLY AMAZED at how many of our guests wrote one of your names down as the one who invited them. Folks, that shows me ownership, faith and understanding that Jesus and His church are the only hope our friends and families have. Thank you for your trust in us and belief that God will touch your friends and family while they are here.

I want to thank all the volunteers and servants who gave during our Easter season. In fact, so many people told me that this was our “best” Easter ever. I am a little biased, though, in that I think every Easter is awesome! Thank you for your love for what God continues to do in and through us.

We begin our new series on heaven on Sunday. After I went through the hundreds of questions you wrote, I could tell that this series was going to strike a chord. Thank you for sharing your honest questions about heaven through your Connection Cards on Easter. We will do our best to answer as many as possible.

You might want to consider either joining a Community Group that is going to do the Heaven DVD curriculum or coming to our special Heaven LifeSkills group that starts April 18, 6:30 pm right here at Twin Cities. Stop by the Groups table on Sunday to find out more.

Looking forward to heaven with you,

Pastor Ron

This Week @ Twin Cities Church - Easter!

Hey Everyone! Easter is the most important date in history. It’s not a holiday. It’s not about eggs and bunnies. It's not about religion. In fact, Easter is about one thing and one thing only – Jesus came back to life. Jesus was resurrected from the dead. All other religions, philosophies, traditions and spiritual practices are based upon the teachings or actions of a leader or group of leaders. Christianity stands ALONE because it’s based upon a person who was raised from the dead. Please be praying for those people you are inviting or plan to invite that they will come and hear how believing in a risen Jesus can transform them, give them freedom and inspire confidence in a life full of uncertainties and discouragement.

We’re also doing something very tangible as we help our neighbors this Easter weekend. After our last food drive, the volunteers who delivered the food items you brought came back and mentioned to us that the shelves at Interfaith Food Ministry are alarmingly low. They have even reduced their delivery schedule because the need is greater than they can currently fill. We’re going to help by doing an Easter Food Drive.

We will have bins available at all our entrances this weekend. I want to ask you to bring a can, a box or a bag of non-perishable food with you as you come to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Will you help us make a huge difference in the daily struggle some have just to feed their families? Let’s help encourage the people at Interfaith with a huge outpouring of generosity.

Make sure to pray for all the servants who will lead us this weekend. Also, please look for ways you can help someone feel welcome or included. Look around for those who seem to be hesitant or new and offer a smile. You might even ask if they need help finding their way.

Coming awake with you for Easter,

Pastor Ron