Sunday was a great day at TOCC!  For me, it started with hearing some good feed-back on last week’s “much anticipated” shepherd’s note.  Thank you for reading!  I pray that these “notes” give you some encouragement, or maybe some things to think about as your week is unfolding.  

 Then, with the Spirit’s characteristic way of working subtly to make things happen so that they appear to be “coincidences”, the topic of the Sunday morning class seemed to flow right out of last week’s sermon and our need to take steps of courage.  Let me assure you that I had nothing to do with this amazing timing.  As I sit at this keyboard and consider the many variables that had to align to make this happen, my mind is overwhelmed, and all I can do is say, “Thank You Lord for revealing Yourself as The One who is worthy of our love and devotion.  You guide our steps for our good, and for Your glory, and for the sake of The Kingdom.” 

 And then, the great sermon by my nephew, Jack Allen, preceded by a wonderful reading and prayer led by two other young people, gave us a glimpse into the future of The Church.  The young men and women of today are already beginning to shape The Church of Tomorrow.  And that is a very good thing.  Will it look different than what it is Today?  I hope so!  Don’t you?  Because The Church is Alive and The Church is Free, and where there is Life and Freedom, there is movement, and there is change.  If we ever think we’ve got it all figured out and that nothing needs to change, that’s when we should start to worry.

 Don’t mis-read what I’m saying and conclude that it is only Young People who are free and who are able and willing to change.  Just look at some of the people at TOCC who have already seen more than a few birthdays.  They are some of the strongest voices for Life and Freedom in The Church!  They constantly amaze me with the enthusiasm they have for the family of God at TOCC, and with their gratefulness for the ways The Spirit is breathing New Life and Freedom into this Body.  We are blessed by their wisdom, and we are blessed by their example of never being satisfied with “the way things have always been.”  I want to be like them when I grow up!

 So, whether you’re Young, or Not-So-Young, it is my prayer that we will all look forward with excitement to our gatherings as an opportunity to express our love for one another, and our joy at being called into The Kingdom here at TOCC, and our gratitude for the ways The Spirit is leading us.  “Where The Spirit of The Lord is, there is freedom.” [2 Corinthians 3:17].     

~Shepherd Ambrose Ramsey