Grow

Missions Team Update

matt — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:04:58 +0000

We have recently received news from the Bosnia field that they are unable to host our TAC short-term mission team this summer due to an unexpected transition. Mark and Debbie Byrom have temporarily departed Sarajevo for a 6-9 month medical leave to the States. This has resulted in a shift of responsibilities, especially in regards to the community center where the English camps are held. Kathy Eikost, who coordinates the short-term mission projects has requested that we postpone our trip to the following summer (July of 2012). They also ask that we pray for the Byrom family during their medical leave, that they would be able to get the care they need in order to return to the field strong and healthy.

While this alters the current plans to send our short-term missions team, it does have some advantages for them. This will allow each team member more time to prepare for the trip and raise the necessary funds. This will also allow them to purchase the tickets in greater advance to receive the best possible discount. With the additional months available, they can develop their teamwork, especially in the area of hands-on arts. And, most importantly, this gives us, as a church, a chance to support the Byroms in a special way during a challenging time for their family (we’ll give you updates as they become available). -Pastor Matt

Bosnian Wish List

matt — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:57:55 +0000

In December 2009, we received a special offering to contribute to a vehicle replacement fund for Mark and Debbie Byrom. The gift was a great encouragement and strengthened our ministry partnership with this family who are planting Alliance churches in a war torn country. Strategically located in Sarajevo, this city has made great progress in restoring itself after the recent Balkan war, but things that we take for granted, like reliable transportation, are a challenging expense for a young family.

In a recent Skype conversation I had with Mark, he confided that their van had probably made its last trip to Germany, as its reliability is decreasing while the mileage is increasing (or should that be, kilometerage?!). This need has become a much larger concern now that their eldest daughter, Kaelah, is attending Black Forest Academy in Germany (did you know that our own Tim Goheen graduated from there?).

Just as we have been generous in helping to provide seed packets for Bosnian families to grow food this year (and the next), let’s be generous in continuing to help the Byroms work toward their vehicle replacement goal. Of all the C&MA churches the Byroms have shared their ministry need with, Tacoma Alliance Church holds the lead in being the largest contributor to their transportation fund. So let’s trust God to use us again to be a blessing to this family as we grow in this special partnership to share the Gospel with the people of Sarajevo.

-Pastor Matt

Thumb Rules

matt — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 17:02:43 +0000

I like rules of thumb. These are pockets of wisdom that, like measuring the width or depth of something with your thumb, are handy when you need them. Jesus gives many guiding principles of wisdom in his Sermon on the Mount, but perhaps the most famous is: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).

As commentator Haddon Robinson states, this means we are to do to others what we want them to do for us. In other words, ask yourself. What do I want the other person to do for me? Do I want them to be kind to me? Then be kind. Do you desire that others be honest in their dealings with you? Then choose to be honest. Do you want people to help when you are hurting? Then help them when they are in need.
The opposite is also a good thumb-rule. If you don’t want people to make life difficult for you, make it a point not to make life difficult for them. If you don’t want people to be critical of you, don’t speak criticism of others. If you don’t want people to bring out the worst in your character, don’t bring out the worst in them. The important thing with this principle is that in all these actions, we are to take the initiative –the difference starts with us!
So, ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative, and do it for them. Now that’s a handy guide to keep in your pocket.

-Pastor Matt

Getting Ready for Christmas

matt — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:01:25 +0000

I have a secret, but please don’t tell my wife. Tucked away behind some old work clothes is a present that I plan to give her this Christmas. I pause every time I see it, anticipating how she might enjoy it, hoping that she won’t come across it until it is wrapped and under the Christmas tree. My greatest concern is that with the busy times of the holidays that I will forget the gift and where I’ve hidden it, only to find it months later during Spring-cleaning.

There’s another gift that we don’t want to miss out on sharing this upcoming season. It’s hidden behind an upcoming message series called, The Heart of Christmas. Already our choir has been putting in hours getting ready for the celebration. Invitations have been passed out to all who attended our Harvest Hoe-down and Annual Craft Fair events. We’ll wrap it in festive decorations, much-loved carols, and candlelight. And while all of this is good, I just hope we don’t forget to give the gift! Too often in the busyness of all the preparations we miss giving the gift of God’s heart with the people he has placed in our lives. There is nothing worse than an abandoned opportunity to share hope because we were too busy wrapping it up.

In a few weeks those of you who attend Tacoma Alliance will be receiving an invitation to be a reminder. Start praying now for whom the Lord might have you give it to and invite to come. Be on the alert for who could use some of the joy and hope that others have passed on to you in Christ. This is one secret worth sharing.

-Pastor Matt

Howdy!

matt — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 21:21:38 +0000

I’m looking forward to our Harvest Hoe-Down outreach – it’s always a great time to connect with families in our community as we share God’s love. It also provides a safe (and dry!) place for kids to enjoy the day we call Halloween. The origin of this name comes from an old church tradition when people would prepare on the eve of a hallowed day, All Saints Day, to remember and respect those who had lived an exemplary life of faith.

We don’t use the word “hallow” much these days, but it’s the word that best describes what Jesus wanted to teach his disciples about prayer when talking to his father in heaven. Most of us grew up having memorized the opening line of the Lord’s prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” So what does it mean to hallow someone’s name?

Just as Christians long ago showed love and respect to those they honored, we too can set aside time each day to express our love and respect to God. We show love by calling him Father, remembering his care and guidance towards us as a good father who loves his children. And we show respect by remembering he is set apart in holiness in the glories of heaven. Because of Jesus, we can worship a holy God in heaven who loves us dearly on earth. This is the good news that we get to share as we don our cowboy duds and connect with our community.

-Pastor Matt

Welcome Marjean!

matt — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 20:25:33 +0000

This week we welcomed Marjean Goheen to our church staff. She is our new part-time office secretary and coordinator of our Connection Ministries. Marjean brings positive people-skills to our team that have been developed during her many years as a member at Tacoma Alliance. In addition to her office duties, she will help in developing our Connection Team by reaching out to our guests and visitors. Our other valued staff member, Connie, who has faithfully served our front desk for over seventeen years, will now shift her responsibilities to assist in the areas of finance and bookkeeping.

-Pastor Matt

Trouble On The Inside

matt — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:06:20 +0000

This past week I tried booting up our home computer when the glossy screen started dancing angrily and eventually took a dive. All our doing on the computer was now done. A trip to the computer store revealed two blown capacitors. I quickly figured out they must be important by the way the salesman began to console me with the sad news that our computer was dead on the inside, as well as, the outside (and could he interest me in the special sale going on today?!).

As Jesus gave his sermon on the mountain, he made several points about the danger of performing well on the outside while being in danger of blowing the capacitors inside our soul. We may operate fine in our relationships and never be taken to court for murder, but a blown fuse of anger is just as deadly. And while our spouse may never suspect we’ve been unfaithful, our lusting imagination still gets formatted as adultery. We can even make a display of loving others to get something in return, but that can also eventually burn out the soul.

Jesus warns us to be careful with our being, with the inside of our lives, because souls are really hard to repair once they get fried. He’s not trying to sell us on a new religion – that of, doing more. No, he is calling us to take care of our souls by using them for their original purpose – being in love with God with all of our heart.

Your Call To Worship

matt — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:32:02 +0000

Being an English major, I love to read aloud the first line of a novel and imagine all the different ways the story could take off. I’m sure this drives my family crazy as I often make them listen to the opening lines I come across. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities). This is how the author calls us to pay attention and not miss the story that is to come.

In the same way, the opening of our worship service is a call to pay attention and imagine what God has in store for us. We need a call to worship to help shift our focus from all the busy earthly activities that we have been pursuing (and that have been pursuing us), to better listen to the still small voice of the Spirit.

While we all love to greet each other as we arrive on Sunday, it’s easy to get caught up with our church family and miss our call to worship. Starting this week, to help us transition from our loving one another to our loving God, we will let you know when it’s time to begin our worship service with a three-minute video countdown. As you see the numbers crunch on the screen, grab your cup of coffee, find a seat, and prepare your heart to hear from eternity. It’s something I know you don’t want to miss.
-Pastor Matt

Law & Re-Order

matt — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 03:18:30 +0000

Back when I was in seminary, and wanting to finish my degree, I crammed a year’s worth of Hebrew language study into a six week intensive class. I about died. Liz still remembers the pale green cast to my face as I burned the midnight oil. While I passed the class (by God’s grace), I found that one of the consequences of learning so much, so fast, is that I forgot most of it just as fast as I learned it.

The Hebrew alphabet is interesting in that it consists of 22 letters, written in a beautiful block script, from right to left. One of the letters is so small it looks like a misplaced comma. That would be the tenth one, the letter known as “Yod”. Jesus made this micro-letter famous when he said, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18)

To the crowd Jesus was addressing on the mountainside, it meant that not only did they have to keep the law as well as the religious Pharisees, but they had to excel beyond them in righteousness. That would have turned most faces pale green.

For them, and for us, it means Jesus wants us to get back to the original intent of the law: to reorder our lives around loving God with all of our heart. If we can learn that, it’ll be a lesson we’ll not soon forget.

A Rude Surprise

matt — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:17:56 +0000

One of my fondest memories as a kid was going to Vashon Island to visit my aunt Erma. Her house was surrounded by undeveloped acres that were ruled by wild blackberries. We’d wear our oldest clothes, head into the green barbwire, and risk stain and scrape to get a taste of that juicy black gold.

This summer as I popped a handful of local berries onto my waiting tongue, I got a rude surprise. My mouth, hoping for that taste of heaven, found our off-season weather had turned the fruit into a funky fermented blast with overtones of moldy leather. Needless to say, I quickly spit it out!

Jesus told his followers that they were the salt of the earth, a preserving and taste-enhancing catalyst for those hungry and thirsty for God. “But if we lose our saltiness,” Jesus asked, “how will people taste godliness?” If others know

us as people who trust in Jesus, but we don’t authentically live out our repentance and humbly seek the kingdom life before them, we will have lost our usefulness and, as Jesus warned, we will be quickly spit out.

So how do we help people taste the kingdom? It begins by embracing being

poor in spirit, mourning our sinful condition, and meekly seeking God’s mercy. Then having received his grace, being merciful to others in a way that is transparent and honest. Living out the beatitudes is a transforming experience. It’ll get people risking stain and scrape for that true taste of heaven.

-Pastor Matt