I know this is tragic, but it’s hitting me harder than normal. Maybe it’s the fact they’re my age. Maybe it’s the fact one has four young children. It’s certainly the fact that one’s wife is nine months pregnant and just went into labor with their first child. My stomach is sick. I want to throw up. As a friend of mine asked on Twitter, “WTF is wrong with people?”

But now we get to the problem. I know what’s wrong with people. Sin. Sin causes them to shoot the cops. Sin caused their previous crime. Sin caused this whole situation. Sin broke our hearts, our relationship with God, even creation itself. Sin is at the root of this whole massively tragic tale. Sin.

They were white cops and they are black suspects, but this is not a race issue. This is a sin issue. This is an eternity issue. I can only hope these two men knew Jesus, that they loved their God and are now seated with him. I pray this man’s wife feels God, and her husband’s, tangible presence as she delivers their first child. I don’t even know if that’s theologically right, but I want it to be.

But what of the suspects? Many are already calling for them to be gunned down in the same manner, but we must pray justice to be done. I am thankful this takes place in a state with the death penalty . I don’t think it’s a deterrent, but I do think it’s a means of justice. I know not all will share this thought. I don’t know if I will share it hours from now.

Yet what of their sin? I wonder, have they ever heard the call to repent and put faith in Christ? Did anyone reach through their circumstance to share the hope and power of Christ? They are 100% responsible for their sin and its consequences, as we all are, but what if they’d repented, been discipled?

We are not planting a church to play nice. We are not planting a church because I like the sound of my own voice, or because you needed something new and different and cool. We are planting a church because sin is rampant and there is only one solution. Education, law, government, Republicans and Democrats couldn’t have prevented this situation, nor will they prevent it in the future. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ will transform and renew someone down to their core nature. We must be compelled in every fiber of our being to take this Gospel to those who need it.

Because we never know which side of the gun we may find those we didn’t share the Gospel with.

But more than anything, churches need PRAYER!

In light of this, I’m throwing down a challenge to have at least one person praying and fasting for TNLC every day from now until April 11th. A list of starting prayer points (please add more as God leads you) can be found here on our TNLC website.

Before you freak out about fasting and what is and how you do it, check out the helpful links below. If you’ve never fasted before, of any kind, this is the perfect opportunity!

1. Prayer and Fasting
2. Types of Fasting
3. 6 Practical Steps for Fasting

Remaining dates

1. March 5
2. April 8
   

Which ones are you crossing off the list?! Need to join with us on a date already taken? No problem! Leave a comment below and we’ll sign you up as well.

Join with us today!

If you’ve never fasted before, here’s a helpful resource of types of fasting

Breakfast: Love Jesus

• Pray we’d be a church passionately in love with Jesus Christ
• Pray we’d be completely motivated to action out of our love for Jesus
• Pray we’d be constant in sharing our love for Jesus, asking God every day to bring people across our path who we can share Jesus with (Philemon 6)
• Pray we’d be intentional about making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20)
• Pray we’d be filled with inexpressible and glorious joy because of our salvation in Christ (1 Peter 1:8, 9)

Lunch: Love People

• Please pray that everyone in TNLC would bear one another’s burdens in love (Galatians 6:2)
• Pray we’d continually work to pay our outstanding debt to love one another (Romans 13:8)
• Pray Jesus would be revealed to those around us by the way we love each other (John 17:20, 21)
• Pray we’d establish New Life Groups where people live out community founded on and shaped by the gospel (Acts 2:42)
• Pray we’d love one other enough to sacrifice for them and meet their needs (Acts 2:45)

Dinner: Serve the City

• Pray that we’d have a heart to seek the peace and prosperity of the city (Jeremiah 29:7)
• Pray we’d know how to meet the specific needs of our community
• Pray we’d be salt to our city (Matthew 5:13)
• Pray we’d be a city of light within the city (Matthew 5:14-16)

Upcoming Services

• Pray for our February 14th service, that over 60 people would attend
• Pray they’d hear God calling them to align their lives with Him first, then align their relationships with Him
• Pray for our strategic planning time February 19-20, that we’d hear God’s plans and will for us
• Pray for our February 28th service and guest speaker Adrian Crawford. Pray people would be called into God’s kingdom, and others would receive a greater heart and love for those who don’t know Jesus.

If you haven’t already found an avenue to do so, and since Trinity New Life Church won’t be meeting this weekend, we wanted to direct you to three places you can give to help relief efforts:

• Compassion International
• World Vision
• Samaritans Purse

Please continue to be in prayer for the nation, and be encouraged by some of the amazing stories already coming out of Haiti. God bless.

The missing mission team of four women from King’s Park International Church was located, and all are doing fine

Moments ago, Pastor Brent Garrard of In Focus Church contacted someone in the Augusta, Georgia, area who has communications into Port-au-Prince. Connections were made, and Wayne Graham spoke with his wife Linda in Haiti.

Linda reported that she and the other team members — Kellee Metty, Lisa Lewis, and Dr. Julie Zervos — are all “doing great.” They’re ministering in a soccer field and caring for people injured or left homeless by the 7.0 earthquake that rocked the island nation yesterday. Linda even helped to deliver two babies last night!

Thank you for your prayers!

Please continue to pray for healing, love, mercy, provision and God’s grace to be upon everyone in Haiti, and consider donating through any of the avenues that are readily available.

As 2009 comes to a close, many look to make year-end contributions to charitable organizations. We’d like encourage you to make an eternal impact with your finances through the ministry of Trinity New Life Church. Here’s an example of how your finances are used to impact people:

At our recent December 13 service, 20% of the offering collected at the end of service was donated to Metropolitan Ministries, a local service organization, helping them provide for families in need over the holidays.

While this was taking place in our sanctuary, two children in New Life Kids told their teacher how much they loved their first experience, and were so interested in “that Jesus,” because they’d never heard His name before and couldn’t wait to come back. While buying a book or helping to pay rent may not seem significant, it’s the type of giving that creates the environment and opportunity for life change.

Please help us continue to impact the lives of others by contributing all or in part towards the the following items:

• $5,000: Start-up cost (media, sound equipment, etc.)
• $2,000: Community events to serve and love our city
• $1,500: 3 month facility rental fee
• $1,300: Video camera to increase our creative media ability
• $300: 60 Bibles for new believers
• $100: 40 guides for new believers to learn how to share their faith
• $20 per month as a TNLC partner

All contributions to TNLC are income tax deductible. Donations can be made online before January 1 by visiting www.EveryNation.org/Trinity. Checks can be made out to Trinity New Life Church and mailed to 1629 Crossvine Court, Trinity, FL 34655 and must be postmarked by December 31, 2009.

Thank you so much for your partnership in making an eternal impact!

Blessings,
Clayton Bell, Lead Pastor

To 10:30 a.m.!

In the process of updating our rental agreement with the YMCA, we were also able to agree to a new service time! This is a great move for Trinity New Life Church- it makes thing easier on families to get home for naps, you get back more of your afternoon after church, and it’s a lot easier to go have lunch together after.

We’re so excited about the move, and hope to see you on January 10th at 10:30 for our next preview service!

Sorry we’ve fallen off in our updates lately, it’s been a little crazy but we’re back, needing more prayer than ever! Here’s the scoop-

PRAISE- Because of your prayers…

• We had over 75 people at our first preview service on November 8th! It went great, everyone was so excited.
• 5 people indicated they’d like to be a part of the launch team moving forward.
• Close to 15 people visiting the YMCA last Sunday came to our cookout after their workout
• 7 football players gave their lives to Jesus before our last football game of the season, and they demanded we keep going with our Fight Club Bible study
• THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS! They’re working!

PRAYER- Please continue to lift up the following items

• Our December 13th preview service. Let’s keep the momentum going!
• New Launch Team members and lives to be changed. It’s Jesus or nothing, peeps!
• The health of the Bells. I (Clayton) have been having back problems, Caroline has been going through some rough teeth issues (which is making her sleeping less than ideal), and poor Kelly is trying to care for all of us!
• A new car- No, not for me. I’m good. But our worship leader, Afrika, is without, biking to and from work. Would you join us in asking God to provide her with a car? (And if you might have a car, email me!)

Thanks for every single prayer- they’re moving heaven! And, as always, if you have a request for us, just email it back. We’d be proud to pray for you!

RSS readers click here if you can’t see the video.

• Mitchell Football- Not only are the Mustangs 5-0 for the first time, but the players who attended our first Bible study all heard the cross preached for the first time as well! All were eager to hear more about Jesus and how to live for Him, and we provided two of them with their first Bibles ever. Ever! Please pray for their salvation, and that a revival will sweep through the team!
• Launch Team- Where might you find more people to help plant a church? A garage sale, maybe? That’s just where we met a family who were super-excited to find out about TNLC, and came to the launch team meeting the next day! Please pray God would continue to open doors from all over to build HIS church!
• Preview service- Our first preview service is just weeks away on November 8th. We’re putting things together fast and furious, but pray that God brings it all in!
• Life Transformation- As much as we’re praying for people to help, it’s not saved Christians we’re building for- it’s those who are far from God and need to meet Him! Please pray that life transformation, that salvation, would mark each and every aspect of TNLC. We’re not doing this for us, we’re doing it for THEM!

That’s it for this week. I hope you’re as encouraged as we are about what’s happening to build God’s church.

See you next week, prayer warriors!