*Please join the TCF family online if you are not feeling well*

I don’t know about you, but I get really tired of failing! There is no greater frustration in my life then the times I fall short. And where do we fall short the most? In our ability to do what is right. And with the realization that we do not have what it takes within ourselves to live up to the perfection that is required to be truly good, we find ourselves weary with the toil of the pursuit of that in which we cannot attain.

From failing to love our spouses the way Christ loves us. Or failing to love our children as the Father loves and cares for us. Failing to treat others as we want to be treated, with grace and love. We find ourselves tired and in desperate need of rest! Rest from the shame and rest from the guilt of just not being good enough.

Jesus said this to those of us who feel this way, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-29). Jesus, and only Jesus, can give you rest; rest from the guilt and shame of always not being what we know we should be.

Jesus can give us rest because He paid for our sins when He died on the cross. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). You see Christian friend; Jesus can give you rest because He, and only He, can take away your guilt and shame and replace it with His very own goodness. But the rest doesn’t stop there, there is more!

Jesus transforms us from death to life through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Paul describes this transformation like this, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20). This is the rest, that in Him and not in ourselves, we can have this newness of life that transforms us little by little to reflect more and more the character of Jesus. True rest is not the absence of activity but rather the ability to truly be as we were meant to be.

So how do we enter into this rest? The author of Hebrews tells us, “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:11-12). We enter into this rest through the word of God. Because in Jesus, the word of God is not just written on tablets or paper, but on our hearts. Just as it was promised in Ezekiel 36:26, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

God’s word is alive, and it breaks through the walls that our sin nature has erected around our hearts and brings us to true faith in the only One who can save us! Therefore, let us enter into this rest that gives us the ability to be and to do as we were meant to. Let us open God’s word and learn His will. Let us take his truth and meditate on it day and night until it changes the way we think and perceive the world around us. Let us commit to memory those truths that have so powerfully spoken to our hearts in the darkest valleys and the highest mountaintops.

Yes, let us enter into this rest that only Jesus offers. Let us take the gift that is freely given, the gift that we cannot earn and that we do not deserve. Let us rest in the saving arms of our Lord Jesus. The One who did all the work for us so that we might know the depths of His love! It is with this hope that we have in Christ that I join with the Apostle Paul in praying for all of you, that you may be strengthened by the Holy Spirit. “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19)

So, if you find yourself weary, Christian friend, come to Jesus and find rest for your soul. Open His word and be transformed. Trust in His truth and be strengthened by the Holy Spirit and you will find rest!

May God richly bless you as you enter into his rest,

Pastor Rob

Visit trail.org and click "MyTCF Login" from the top menu bar. Need a login? CLICK HERE then follow the instructions.

Questions? jacki@trail.org | 541.878.3501 ext709

The next dedication ceremony is on Sunday, April 18th at both the 9am and 11am services in the outdoor Pavilion.

Click HERE to register and for additional information

Online registration is required (HERE) as well as a signed 'On campus' Teen Permission slip (downloadable HERE).

Enjoy tubing at Lost Creek, rafting on the Rogue, campfires, tent camping, great food, adventure, as well as worship and the Word!

Cost is $99 per person // Register HERE

(Permission slip required: downloadable HERE).

Trail Christian Fellowship Worship Center

9:00am - 12:00pm in the Youth Center

9:00am - 12:00pm in the Worship Center

Reminder: New car kits must be purchased for this event. Previous entries cannot race. Cars kits are available for sale in the Youth Center through Saturday, April 24.

To sign up or for more information contact Aaron Bradley:

541.538.9601 or river_bum@msn.com

If you can help, call Debbie Conley at 541.878.3501 or debbie@trail.org

Kids need you to be part of their team 😊

If you would like to be a regular part of praying for the Children's Ministry and receive an email prayer letter periodically to keep up with what God is doing with the next generation, email debbie@trail.org to get on the list. This will be a blind copy email and your email address will not be shared with others.

Trail Life USA is a Christ-centered outdoor character development adventure program for boys and young men ages 5-17. TCF’s Trail Life troop meets twice a month on Thursdays from 6:30-8pm during the school year. For more information about the Trail Life USA organization, click HERE.

 Celebrate Recovery

If you have questions call Paige Winfrey 541.821.0459 or send an email to celebraterecovery@trail.org. You can also keep up with Celebrate Recovery on our Facebook page.

TCF’s meals ministry is a very practical way to serve the body of Christ by helping an individual or family in need of temporary support, and TCF has teamed up with Meal Train to make it easy. Visit https://www.mealtrain.com/groups/tcf for opportunities to reach out, connect, and provide meals for those in need.

For more about the Meal Train organization, click here.

CLICK HERE for TCF’s current opportunities to serve!

541.840.2204 // lindsayblanchard@gmail.com