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November...

Over the last few weeks, we have had several guest speakers at our TIF worship services. Two weeks ago Craig Hamer, from Risttee Church visited us, and last week Theo Bunescu, visiting pastor from Romania living in Tartu, joined us at TIF.

This coming Sunday at 16:00, Dr. Meego Remmel will be the guest speaker. In addition to being pastor of Salem Church, he is president of the Estonia Baptist Union. His responsibilities have carried him to many places throughout the world. In fact, Dr. Remmel's experiences and awareness led to the vision for an international church in Tartu. Since our first visit to Estonia, he has been a good friend to my family. I know you will be blessed and challenged by what he has to say on Sunday.

Mid - October...

At the end of Luke 18 and the beginning of Luke 19, two very powerful encounters occur as Jesus goes through the town of Jericho. First he encounters a blind beggar who was oppressed by the community followed by a crooked tax collector who had been oppressing the community. Through these brief encounters, we see how God responds to the oppressed and the oppressor. On Sunday afternoon at 16:00 we will begin by unfolding Jesus’ encounter with the blind beggar. I know that this scripture will both enrich and challenge you!

Don’t forget about the Global Leadership Summit that will take place in Tartu at Salem Church on November 18 & 19. The following link will give you more information and you might need to run it through Google translator if you can’t read Estonian: http://www.gls.ee/2011/
Remember, the cost is €25 per person if you register before the end of October with Salem Church. I can arrange to do this when we meet on Sunday. If you have questions, let me know. I highly recommend this conference and don’t let the price stand in your way - some funding is available to help cover the cost if needed.

September 18th...

We are going to shift gears this coming Sunday at 16:00 as we gather together. From time to time this past year, as we sang, prayed, and learned together, we have reflected upon the nature of the Kingdom of God. As I’ve said before, understanding what God’s Kingdom looks like can be a very broad and mysterious ordeal. Yet at the same time, it’s not some sort of mindless fantasy that we are hoping to escape towards. The reality of the Kingdom of God was best evidenced in the person of Jesus Christ as God came to us to show us His way. It’s a reality that Jesus called us to take part in today when he said “follow me.” So we take part in God’s Kingdom when we live the way Jesus taught us to live. Because it is essential to what TIF believes, we must continue to revisit this topic and the impact it has on our present lives in the world we live in today. As we do this on Sunday, we are going to examine Jesus’ story of “Lazarus and the Rich Man” (Luke 16:19-30) in its 1^st century cultural context. After we see what the story meant to Jesus’ 1^st century listeners, we will fast forward and see what it means for us in the world we live in today. I hope that you will be challenged and blessed by this teaching!

Life on the Move...

I hope everyone is having a great week as you get adjusted to new schedules and new routines. We are thankful and praying for each one of you! It is exciting to see what is taking shape at TIF as we continue to gather together. This coming Sunday afternoon at 16:00, we will wrap up our study on “Life in Transition” by continuing to examine the faith of Abram & Sarai as they trusted God through their transition. As we do this, we will see that contact with God is vital to our survival during major transition times. Much like soil is vital for a plant to sustain and grow, we need the soil of God and experiencing Him through community when we transition. I hope you will join us Sunday and experience community that is vital for your growth.

Moving Towards Autumn...

We are in the midst of transition time in Tartu. The weather is starting to change and new people from different places are coming to Tartu. As we transition into autumn, we are going to spend the next several weeks exploring the theme of transition and how God works in our lives during times of transition. While we face these “wilderness” times of uncertainty in the midst of transition, it also presents an opportunity for us to rediscover our identity and what God is preparing us for in the next chapter of our lives. I’m really excited about how we will learn, grow, and connect with one another in the coming weeks!

Sunday, August 21st

This Sunday we will conclude our summer study on The Choices We Have When it Comes to Healing. We will look at the life of Paul and how each of the choices we have discussed is evident in Paul’s story and ultimately led to JOY. We will see Paul Persevere and Find Joy, despite some very undesirable circumstances. I look forward to seeing each of you this Sunday as we learn and share with on another.

Sunday, August 14th...

The past few Sundays we have discussed Connecting Our Lives, Feeling Our Lives, and Exploring Our Past in order to Heal Our Future. This coming Sunday we will be looking at what it means to Embrace Your Life. Life is full of wonderful moments, but there are also difficult experiences that we wish we did not have to endure. We will look at how embracing the various moments, even the unwanted ones, can lead to our own growth and development in God, and through that healing we can be used to help others around us. I look forward to seeing each of you this Sunday.

We will soon be shifting to our autumn format that will include new themes and approaches. With many new faces on the way to Tartu in the coming weeks, we are planning a “Kick-Off the Fall (Autumn) Fellowship” on Saturday, September 3rd. We will have a time and location for this event very soon, but make plans now to attend as we get to know some new friends in Tartu.

Also, Dee and I will be hosting a weekly “home group” beginning Wednesday evening September 7th. This group is open to anybody, young or old, male or female. We will be discussing in more detail the study we have looked at over the summer – The Choices We Have When it Comes to Healing.

For Sunday August 7th

The past several Sundays we have explored the importance of Connecting With Others and Feeling our lives. This Sunday we will continue in our study on The Choices We Have When it Comes to Healing. We will look at why it is so important to explore and gain understanding about our past so that we can heal and make the healthiest choices possible regarding our future. Many people think that we should only look ahead and never spend time thinking about the past. This can be very dangerous and can lead us to repeat unwanted choices that in turn lead to repeated unwanted behavior and results. Please join us this Sunday @ 16:00 as we consider the Choices to Explore our Past and Heal Our Future.

Sunday, July 31st

As we continue our study this week on The Choices We Have When it Comes to Healing, we will be unfolding another choice that God gives us in the healing process – “The Choice to ‘Feel’ Your Life.” God created us with the ability to experience feelings, or emotions, and at times they can be very powerful forces that produce positive and negative results. The misconception among Christians at times is that real Christians should experience a real peace at all times regardless of the situation. But what about when we are deeply wounded by others? Should we cover up the painful emotions of being hurt by pretending to be at peace? Is it possible that this approach is more harmful? Further, is it possible that healing (and a real peace) can only come once one has had the opportunity to truly experience and express the way he/she is really feeling? Join us this Sunday @ 16:00 as we unfold, through scripture, this choice God gives us and also expose this dangerous misconception that does more harm than good. We are praying each week that you will find healing and renewal as you experience life more fully and abundantly.

From July 24th...

This week we will again pick up our study on "The Choices We Have When it Comes to Healing." We are all in need of healing. Sometimes it's physical, other times it's emotional. Still yet it can spiritual, or a combination of physical, emotional, and spiritual. As we introduced the study a few weeks ago, we looked at how Jesus gave the crippled man (John 5) a choice to be healed. Also, Naaman (2 Kings 5) was given a choice to be healed. In the case of the crippled man, his choice to be healed, and be a fully functioning person physically, presented him with new challenges and expectations that were not going to make life easy. He was willing to make the choice and endure the hard work to experience a more full and abundant life.

While it's not often easy to understand God's will in healing, we do see that he gives us more choices then we often think. This week we will be looking at the choice we have to Connect With Other People. Denial can be a very powerful thing and often we deny God's help by thinking that, "All I need is God and no one else." We think, "maybe I need to pray harder than before or commit more scripture to memory, then I will get better." But this is a form of hiding or even rejecting God's plan for us to heal as He desires for us to connect with other people. Join us this Sunday as we unfold this topic and make the choice to accept healing in your life!

Coming Sunday, July 10th...

We are excited about the next study that we will be introducing this coming Sunday that will carry us throughout the summer. It has to do with healing and the choices we have. Ultimately, it is God's desire to heal us spiritually which often causes us to confront our physical and emotional wounds. We all carry some sort of wound along with us that is in need of healing in order to grow more into the people God created us to be. God, with all his wisdom and power, often gives us the choice. In the Gospel of John ch. 4 we find Jesus interacting with a man at the pool of Bethesda who had been sick and lying by the pool for many years. Surprisingly, instead of approaching the man and healing him, Jesus asks him a question - "Do you want to be healed?" This is a powerful question that begs consideration from us today. We all need healing of some sort. I hope you will join us on Sunday afternoons this summer as we get in tune with how God created us to be by unfolding "The Choices We Have When It Comes To Healing."

From June 23rd...

Life is certainly full of ups and downs, isn’t it? It is during the disappointing times of life that depression can settle in and threaten to consume us. In Psalm 77 we see a depressed individual express a prayer of complaint and a cry for help from God. This coming Sunday at TIF we will continue to look at some significant aspects of prayer as we examine Psalm 77. In particular as it relates to life’s depressing times. As we do this, we will identify important characteristics to prayer that will help us better communicate with God during depressing times. I continue to be amazed at what these ancient prayers can teach us about our own pray lives and in essence help us grow into the people God designed us to be.

From June 12th...

Have you ever heard or come across the statement – “God helps those who help themselves.” I was reading an article this week that talked about how this phrase is often thought to be found in the Bible and, in turn, how some people view God. These people would be surprised to know that this phrase is not found in the Bible and neither is any sort of concept that would support this sort of perspective about God. In fact, this phrase promotes a self-centered approach to solving our troubles and burdens. In Scripture, particularly in the Psalms, we find people who have shifted from a self-centered approach to solving their problems, to a God-centered approach through prayer.

This coming Sunday we are going to begin to explore the topic of prayer, specifically by looking at the brutally honest prayers that are found in the Psalms. There is much that we can learn about communicating to God through prayer when we examine this brutal honesty. Not one of us is free from troubles or burdens in life and it’s my hope that each of us can grow through this experience together by learning what brutal honest prayer is.

This Weekend

Don’t forget about the TIF Backyard Barbecue that is coming up this Saturday at 5:30 pm (Kalevi 90). So we know how much food to prepare, please let us know if you plan on attending. Also, bring a side dish, chips, or a desert – even a friend. We will have hot dogs and hamburgers. It certainly looks like at this point the weather will be nice and it should be a great time visiting with everyone.

This coming Sunday as we gather together, Dee will be sharing about self-image, comparing what society tells us versus what God tells us. This is a subject that Dee has presented on several times through her professional experience as a counselor. Regardless of where we are in life, we need to be reminded of these important aspects of our existence. It should be a great and challenging time for each of us.

Growing as a Church

Over the last several weeks, we have been praying about some of the next steps that TIF can take in its development as a community of followers of Jesus Christ. As I have shared on a number of occasions, we are striving at TIF to create a church that has the heart and mindset of the early followers of Jesus Christ found in Acts 2:42-47. The faith of these early followers had an incredible impact on the community around them. It’s our prayer that God can show us more and more how that looks in our present world. One of the key components of this early fellowship was that they gave of their possessions to those that were in need. Giving is an important part to any church, but it’s important that each person’s heart is in tune with why God calls on us to give. In our day and age there are some churches and ministries that are disillusioned when it comes to giving. Unfortunately, people get hurt and are taken advantage of because of improper motivations.

This coming Sunday we are going to look at scripture through the eyes of Jesus and see what he has to say about the heart when it comes to giving by looking at the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12: 13-21). It’s my desire to be honest and sincere to scripture and to trust God’s plan for us through the teachings of Jesus. So I ask that each of you come so that you can hear my heart on the importance of giving to the fellowship and what that means for us as a community moving forward. As always, it’s a blessing to share life with each of you and I pray that we can continue to draw strength from one another in the days ahead.