by Pam Sumrall on May 20, 2010
It’s early on a weekday morning. I can smell the coffee and hear it gurgle as it brews. Though the sun is not yet up, my window is open and I can hear the beginnings of the day – the owl in the tree, a few cars on the highway, the wind. There’s even the smell of rain, though no evidence of it just yet.
I love mornings. Though I don’t have to be at work until 8, my alarm goes off at 5:30am. I wish I could tell you it’s because I work out faithfully every day or because that’s the time that I’ve set aside to pray. While on occasion those things do happen during this time, the truth is, I just love to be awake and unhurried in the morning. [click to continue…]
by Pam Sumrall on May 1, 2010
She stood so strong on that cold dark day, a day she knew would have to come.
John held her hand as she looked above, to a life she’d always loved.
But Mary thought it would not come to this. It just didn’t seem fair. How could they take the son of God, and nail him without a care? Her throat was dry and her quiet voice shook, still I heard her say with a tear in her eye…
I rocked Him as a baby. I fed Him as a child. I heard Him call my name out in the night! I helped Him take His first steps, I cried when I heard His first word
I wish you all could see through His mother’s eyes.
Mary’s Song
Though Mary had known from the beginning that Jesus was God’s son, he was her son too! How could this possibly be happening – could she really watch him die? The disciples tried to comfort her, but they were grieving as well – not just the loss of a friend, but of a promise they hadn’t yet understood.
I’ll bet she wasn’t the only mother there that day. Look there by the shack. Can you see the mother of one of the thieves? [click to continue…]
by Pam Sumrall on February 26, 2010
I’m going through “The Change”. This probably falls under the heading of WAY too much information for many of my readers. I apologize for that, but if you’ll bear with me, there IS a point to this rather personal disclosure.
Over the past few years, forgetfulness has increasingly become a problem for Paul & I. I often joke that, between the stroke and menopause, we almost have one brain! The most common answer to almost any question at our house is simply, “oh. I forgot.” While at first we were disturbed by this phenomenon (we lost so much of Paul’s mom to Alzheimer’s before her heart finally stopped at 94), we have learned to laugh and find new tools to help us keep up with the simple tasks needed to maintain our daily lives.
My mind’s not the only thing that’s different. Underneath the 3 color weave my hairdresser uses to disguise my age, my hair is almost solid gray. My eyesight continues to deteriorate, my body doesn’t recover the way it once did, and my emotions have become increasingly unreliable. While I remain thankful for the good things in my life, I sometimes resent not being able to slow the effects of aging. In my mind’s eye, I’m still a fresh-faced 20 year-old but my mirror reflects someone very different and unfamiliar.
[click to continue…]
by admin on January 14, 2010
Dear Friends,
Beginning this Sunday morning, we will inaugurate a new worship schedule, featuring one service at 10:30 a.m. The special dynamic that one large service affords will be wonderful for all of our church family to experience together over the next few months. Please plan to help us launch the new schedule this Sunday morning. The Nfusion Coffeehouse will be open to serve delicious hot and cold drinks at 8:45 a.m., and adult education classes will begin at 9:00 a.m. Additionally, the United Youth Directline will meet at 9:00 a.m., and Vertical will meet at 10:30 a.m.
I want you to know that the Turning Point staff is diligently praying together each day, and is seeking God’s direction during this interim season. You will be excited to learn that we have been hearing specific directions from God, and will be pressing forward even as the search for a new senior pastor unfolds. During this timeframe, please rest assured that the staff is fully engaged in the process of maintaining and growing the respective ministries, as well as the body-at-large. We are rolling up our collective sleeves in order to faithfully serve God and you!
During this interim period, you will see all of our ministries moving forward with passion, excellence, and diligence. It is obvious to me that the Turning Point staff was appointed and anointed by God Himself for a time such as this. Expect amazing and powerful ministry to continue during this season without a senior pastor. As you know, this is God’s church, and He is far from finished with Turning Point Community Church! With this in mind, I want you to be aware of some specific back-to-the-basics emphases that will be front and center during the interim:
· Prayer - We sense that God is asking us to make prayer the most foundational component upon which Turning Point is predicated. The staff is meeting daily for extended, heartfelt, and faith-filled prayer. The elders are likewise meeting regularly to pray and seek God’s will. We are in the process of identifying and implementing church-wide prayer opportunities in which you can actively and purposefully engage.
· Word - In addition to fresh, relevant, and challenging sermons each week, we are also asking Father God to give this church body an insatiable hunger for His Word. One meaningful spiritual “meal” a week is certainly not enough for true spiritual health and vitality. Church-wide initiatives will be forthcoming.
· Worship - While worship has always been strongly emphasized at Turning Point, we now sense God calling us to worship Him with even more passion, abandon, and urgency. Allen and his worship team will continually provide amazing and authentic worship experiences, and will strive to find ways to more effectively engage our church body in worship that touches the very heart of Father God.
· The Lost -The Great Commission should always be central to any church ministry. We are now asking God to make Turning Point a place where the lost routinely come to know the Living Savior. In fact, we are praying with expectancy that God will honor our prayers in an amazing way. Can you imagine a place where people are saved every time we gather to worship?
Thanks for the opportunity to communicate with you regarding current and upcoming ministry endeavors at Turning Point Community Church. At some point within the coming months, God will bring us a new senior pastor. Until then, let us continue to trust God for an amazing and miracle-filled interim season. Remember: This is God’s Church, and He is still fully in control!
To God Be the Glory!
Brent Hardegree
Executive Pastor
by Pam Sumrall on January 6, 2010
The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them. -Thoreau
My 20 year old daughter, Grace & I were having yet another discussion about BALANCE - the 7 letter word that has become a dreaded four-letter-kind-of- word for she & I pretty much since she was 14.
Grace is my youngest daughter and my most social child. Like all of my children, she is unafraid, smart and gifted with words. In high school she was president of the speech/debate team - find Gracie a stage and give her a topic or a poem and she’ll entertain you, bring you to tears or persuade you - I promise. She’s just that good.
Grace is a good student too - graduated high school with honors, has made the Dean’s List a few times. She has a clear vision for her life and knows what she has to do, educationally, to get there. She loves Jesus and people so much she just can’t say no to anything that involves either one or both. That’s been a problem for this 20 year old who recently graduated from LVN school. She works as a night nurse, takes a couple of classes towards her RN and still manages to make church involvement and time with her friends a priority.
I’ve walked a fine line with her for years - how do you fuss at a kid for doing too much when they’re only doing really great things? [click to continue…]
by Pam Sumrall on September 24, 2009
I have a confession to make. I didn’t get a thing out of the service this morning. It wasn’t Pastor Andy’s fault - he is an amazing speaker and the series on Friends has held my interest from the beginning. The problem today was all my own. I didn’t even realize there was a problem til the altar call when I saw people responding to God’s specific call in their hearts and felt left out. God called and I missed it! How did that happen?
I’ll tell you how it happened. [click to continue…]
by Eric Chaffin on September 16, 2009
Decades ago (in a time when corporal punishment was still permitted in all states), a public school teacher allowed the students in his class to set the rules. He explained that if there was to be order in his classroom, then there must be rules. “Class, what’s the punishment for tardiness, for talking out of turn, for disruptive behavior, for stealing, for fighting?” One by one, the punishments were set.
The students’ self-imposed rules worked well until one day, the kids came to their teacher and said “Sir, Jimmy stole Hank’s lunch and he’s eating it right now in the janitor’s closet!” The teacher and Hank headed off to the janitor’s closet to investigate. Sure enough. There was Jimmy, caught “red-handed” eating Hank’s lunch.
The teacher asked him, “Jimmy, do you remember what the punishment is in our class for stealing?” [click to continue…]
by Rachel Brown on August 28, 2009
If you have watched even a little of the news lately, you have heard about the instability of our economy, our national debt, town hall meetings gone bad, who is for or against the health care plan, the war on terror, and the list goes on. This is in no way a political blog and you won’t hear my stance or opinions on what we should do politically as a country. What I do want to communicate and put in the forefront of your mind is that SALVATION IS ALL AROUND US. [click to continue…]
by Pam Sumrall on August 11, 2009
My son called yesterday while I was at Wal-Mart. He’s a college student in Denton - even at “Hi Mom” I could hear the concern in his voice. The rent was due and he couldn’t find his checkbook. “Could you send me another one please - first thing Monday morning?” he said. “I’ve look all over this apartment for the past 24 hours and still can’t find it - I know it’s here somewhere - I’m so frustrated!”
“Son, have you prayed about it?” I asked. “I can’t tell you how many times God has helped me find things. Silly as it may seem to pray over a lost checkbook, God cares about what we care about; you care about being responsible and paying your rent on time and those things ARE in line with His will. Ask Him and see what happens. “
Twenty minutes later the phone rang again. “I found it! It was right where I remembered having it last only some sheet music was on top of it.” I couldn’t help but ask, “Tory, did you pray about it after we talked?” He had and God helped him find it almost immediately.
“He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry for help and saves them.” Psalm 145:19
I’ve been thinking this week about the question Pastor Andy posed on a recent LifeVesting blog . He talked about how God speaks to us through our desires. Andy said simply, “What do you want?” Yesterday, Tory really wanted to find His checkbook. It wasn’t an eternally significant prayer but it was definitely a cry for help and God heard it. I think the Father took great pleasure in guiding my son to those checks once Tory finally said, “I need you.”
What do we want? Have we examined our own hearts enough to even know the answer to that question? If so, have we been brave enough to voice those dreams? There’s no end to what God wants to use us to do in His kingdom but we have to want it. Not just the generic, spiritual -sounding stuff. Get specific. Tell Him what you want - He already knows. He birthed those desires in you.
Sometimes, God’s just waiting for us to ask.
by Janet Barrett on August 5, 2009
I went through a very dark time in my life. I was chronically ill, and had surgery every 3-4 weeks. I was running up bill, and even with insurance it was eating a hole in our pocket. Some friends spoke to me and my husband because they felt it was my lack of faith that made me sick. My husband began to believe I was not sick and only wanted the attention or just used it as a cop-out so I would not have to help him build a business that we were involved in at the time.
When I would go to physical therapy there was an awesome therapist there that liked my writing, loved the work I did and was a brother in the Lord. During this time he encouraged me and believed in me and I found myself loving him. No! I’m a married woman!!! I began to talk to the Lord about this. I said “Lord, this man treats me better than my own husband and I have feelings for him!” I talked to the Lord about this for a month. And then one day the Lord showed me something. [click to continue…]
