DAY 10: "Free at Last" by Rick Willis

DAY TEN: “FREE AT LAST” by Rick Willis

I spent most of my life in a legalistic Church. I wasn't taught about grace. I wasn't taught about love. And frankly, I spent most of my life thinking I wasn't good enough to go to Heaven and literally lived in fear of dying. I didn't know what it was like to have the kind of faith God wanted me to have. I certainly didn't know about the freedom in Christ. I was taught week after week, month after month, and year after year, about what Christians couldn't do and the endless list of things I had to "do" to go to heaven. God began telling me louder and louder that this is not how it's supposed to be but I wasn't listening. I was too busy "doing Church" or "playing Church" that I just didn't listen.

Finally, after studying more I realized that somewhere there had to be a group of people who wanted to just live their lives for Christ. A group of people who did not worry about the traditions and denominational issues. A group of people who preferred to just be “Christians”. After God took me through an amazing journey that included meeting hundreds of people who were in the same boat I was in, I started listening to God. He led me to an amazing faith family at The Church At Trace Crossing.

Now I know the Grace and Love of God and I'm free - free at last from the bondage of legalism.

My Prayer for Trace Crossing

My prayer for our faith family this... Thank God every day for his grace and love. Thank you God for your Son and the fact that he did it all by his sacrifice for our sins. I thank you Lord for paying for my admission to eternal life with you (a price I couldn't pay). I pray Lord that our faith family will show our Community that we are Christians by showing our love for each other and for you. I pray that we'll share that love with others and tell them of your saving grace. Lord keep us humble and please let us never forget that it's not about us, It's all about YOU.

DAY 9: Love God Love People by Britt Allred

DAY NINE: LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE by Britt Allred

On a cold winter Sunday night in late 2006, The Church at Trace Crossing was still meeting at the Hancock Building. There were probably 20 of us there that night to hear a guest speaker. At this particular time, we knew that we would soon be moving to our new church at the West Main Shopping Center. We were all excited about what God had in store for us.

The guest speaker that night gave us a challenge that has stuck with me ever since. He simply ended his talk by telling us to: LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE and everything else would take care of itself. As I think back to that Sunday night, I marvel at how our faith family has taken on this challenge and responded faithfully.

I immediately think of Tonya McCaleb and how the Love of God and the Love of People moved her to donate her kidney and save my life.

I think of our entire faith family and how the Love of God and the Love of People drove us to provide school supplies to the children who need it the most during our Back to School Bash.

Also, how our church family is involved in mission trips to Honduras and the Ukraine. Again, through the Love of God and the Love of People.

Closer to home, I think of how our faith family through the Love of God and the Love of People have come to the aid of so many of our own who are going through different trials and difficulties in their lives.

Without a doubt, the attitude that permeates through The Church at Trace Crossing is the most sincere and authentic worship experience that I have ever been involved with. It has made me think less of me and more of others. As the guest speaker said to us, "Trace Crossing - Love God. Love People. '

My Prayer for Trace Crossing:
Father God, help us to always remember to Love you and to Love your people boldly and with a servants heart. Help us to do so here in our community and around the world. In Christ name, Amen.

DAY 8: “Rollercoaster Ride” by Carmen Carnathan

DAY EIGHT: “ROLLERCOASTER RIDE” by Carmen Carnathan

Have you ever been on a roller coaster? Have you experienced that uneasy feeling at the end of the ride? You know the one that makes your stomach queasy. Several years ago, Bobby and I felt that way about church. It seemed that the ride we were on was monotonous and we were sick of the feeling we brought away from our experiences.

Then some friends of ours told us about The Church at Trace Crossing. They told us that The Church at Trace Crossing was a whole new theme park and the rides were tremendous. At the time, our hearts would not allow us to attend, but our friends insisted we take a tour and assured us that our experiences would be pleasant.

We attended and as we were told we had the best time. We realized that The Church at Trace Crossing was more than a theme park - it was an adventure. It was a life experience that satisfied the mind, body, and soul.

Today we not only go to The Church at Trace Crossing but we help with the life adventures that you will experience while you are there. Let me tell you about one of the rides that our church will take you on. The one I call the LifeGroup Ride, better known as the ROADTRIP ride. (LifeGroups are small group Bible studies for adults.)

It starts out slowly, usually at a familiar place. Then climbs to a glorious level at which you feel awesome. You never have to worry about structural integrity because of all the wonderful support that is put into place. Once you reach the higher limits you start to accelerate rapidly throughout the ride. There is nothing to be afraid of, just like all rides there are ups and downs that we all go through but this ride has friends that you can hang onto. And just when you think it is over, the fun starts again. The ride usually last for about 12 weeks with the occasional break for maintenance, and to allow others to ride. You don’t need a ticket and there is no cost, you can bring a friend or ride alone. I invite all to come and get on board. I promise you will have the ride of your life on the LifeGroup Ride aka ROADTRIP ride.

Bobby and I have attended LifeGroup since we started at the church. We have found that there are people who have had similar life experiences to ours and can offer help in times of need. We currently lead a LifeGroup along with Shane & Tricia Robbins and are now leading others the same way we were led in the beginning.

My Prayer for Trace Crossing
Dear Lord… Thank you so much for the Ride of Life. Thank you for the people you have put beside me so that I can hang onto and grow closer to you. Give us the courage to climb on and make this faith family stronger for you. Amen

DAY 7: "Looking for a Bigger Box" by Mary Pat Palmer

DAY SEVEN: “LOOKING FOR A BIGGER BOX” by Mary Pat Palmer

My thoughts and prayers for the people who are a part and will be a part of the Trace Crossing Faith Family. Hmmm - blogging is new to me. To begin with, my son and I are blessed to be loved by so many people from so many walks of life - so here goes!

I have always been afraid to step out of the box and have a real relationship with Jesus. I grew up thinking that if I believed certain ideas and stood up for them then I was a Christian. Christianity didn’t involve my heart or my feelings.

I was afraid to love Him freely, worship Him freely, and be forgiven by Him freely.

I felt like those things were mine for a price - a price that was too high for me. It was a price that I could never pay and a gift that I did not deserve. So what was the point in trying? Heaven was only for the cream of the crop, the sinless, and those whose robes are always white - not me. Heaven was a reward for living as close to perfect as possible. My insides screamed, “I am nowhere near perfect. So how can Heaven be mine one day? God has so many others that are ‘way’ better than me. I’m just not good enough for God.”

I had given up. I could no longer fight the mental battle everyday. I quit going to worship. I was empty. But something deep inside kicked and gnawed at me. I felt lost. My head told me that Heaven was where my son and I wanted to spend eternity. And I wanted badly to be there with him, but I was broken. Didn’t I have to DO something to get to Heaven?

So I stepped out of my comfort zone, my box, my “dead zone.” I was scared. My son was scared. We were scared - but we decided to try it and visit Trace Crossing. As I stood in this worship room with all these strangers, the first song that was sung was this:

“Draw Me Close”*

Draw me close to You
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear you say that I'm your friend
You are my desire
No one else will do
Cause no one else
Can take your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace
Help me find the way to bring me back to you

You're all I want, You're all I've ever needed
You're all I want, Help me know you are near
Help me know you are near
Help me know you are near
Help me know you are near

Talk about the Lord whispering in your ear. He was yelling in mine! My heart was screaming, “Help me find the way to bring me back to You!” I couldn’t move. I couldn’t sing. I couldn’t do anything but stand there and listen to His voice and feel His arms around me. Was He pursuing me? I knew at that moment that He wanted me! He wanted ME!!! He wanted my son and me to be with Him some day.

As I left that worship service, I realized that “the box” I had lived in for so long was too small for me. I was like a plant whose roots get all wadded and bound up and stop growing. I started reading, studying, praying, talking to God, visiting churches, and building a real relationship with Jesus. (You know that is what he wants - a relationship. We are made in His image. We are not made to be alone. We thrive on relationships and so does He. He is “relational.”)

I have realized that my box was too small, my God was too small, and the boundaries I put on my relationship with Jesus made me stop growing. So, I am letting all of that go as I am getting to know the people at Trace Crossing. At Trace Crossing, I see a faith family that is always looking for a bigger box. I am growing as this faith family grows. This faith family loves one another without a price. They love and serve God as they serve others. They are growing deep and strong in their relationship with Jesus and with one another.

At Trace Crossing, I am learning to love more freely, worship more freely, and realize that I am forgiven freely. I am finding my way to Him and experiencing a feeling of such fullness I have never known.

My Prayer for Trace Crossing:

My prayer for Trace Crossing is “to continue growing consistently closer to Jesus.” I want to know He is near me. I want to always look for a “bigger box” and be a part of a faith family that is never satisfied with the box in which they are growing.

DAY 6: "49" by Marilyn Russell

DAY SIX: "49" by Marilyn Russell

On a Sunday evening in the summer of 2006, I sat with several couples in a living room listening to a message on CD that Kevin Wood had brought to the people at The Church of Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL. It was not the first time that I had sat with several of these couples. For months (maybe even a couple of years) my heart had sensed a stirring for learning more of God’s Word. Now, these couples that I had listened to messages with, read with, and wrestled in the scriptures with had made the decision to become a church. My soul was in a struggle.

What was I to do?

Was I really supposed to leave a church family I loved and the way I had known “church” for years (and I do mean SEVERAL years) to follow the strong stirring of my heart and truly learn more of what it means to follow Christ or was I to stay “on the fence”? I had been in a quandary all spring and summer of that year crying out for a sense of peace or release. It had not come.

However, that night as I listened to Kevin ask the question what does the number “49” mean to that body of believers in Birmingham, he was speaking to my passion of seeing folks welcomed into the family of God – all people - hurting people. I thought, well, he is going to tie this number into a meaningful significance in the Bible text. Wrong.

“Forty-nine," he asked again. "Do you know what that number means?”

He closed the message by saying that 49 is the number of people it took at Brook Hills to help a single mother get from her car in the parking lot to a seat in the worship room. It took a team of volunteers, from the parking lot greeters to the door greeters to the welcome desk volunteers to nursery workers and children's workers to sanctuary greeters and ushers - all 49 of them working hard just to help that one single mom get to where God wanted her to be - in a seat where she could focus without distraction on the message of Christ for her life. 49 people with 1 passion.

At that moment, I could not see anyone in the room for my tears and no one else in the room mattered, I had my peace – Follow Him – be one of those 49 that holds out her arms to take a baby, speak to a child, or hug a hurting heart to show her she is accepted and wanted in God’s family, in the same way that I have been loved and accepted. Serve Him with people that have that same passion.

My Prayer for Trace Crossing:

Lord, may I ever be mindful that I am a part of many people who prayerfully continue with the same one passion to follow You.

DAY 5: PRAY IT FORWARD by Kevin Williams

DAY FIVE: PRAY IT FORWARD by Kevin Williams

A couple of weeks ago, I was privileged to speak with a church member at Trace Crossing that had some money that he and his wife wanted to contribute as a designated offering to our church. They had prayed about the use of this money and wanted to either invest it in our worship ministry or towards a missional effort of the church. They didn’t want this money to be used as rent or for toilet paper or even to send the staff on a Hawaiian vacation. Can you believe that? Just kidding.

I encouraged him that the Ukraine mission effort was the way to go. Selfishly, I wanted to use the money for the worship ministry but was convinced, even in that moment, that the Holy Spirit wanted that money for Ukraine. I promised him that the money given would go completely to that trip and that the church was very grateful.

If the story ended with that gesture of giving, it would be incredibly encouraging. However, the story doesn’t end there. This man of God said something over the phone that the Holy Spirit has been turning over and over in my mind since our conversation. He said, “We thought about saving this money until one of us (he or his wife) could make a mission trip, but we wanted God to be able to bless someone else through this money now.” Wow, right? Just wait. It gets better. He continued by saying, “We know that when it’s time for one or both of us to go on a mission trip, God will use someone else to bless us.” My eyes tear-up every time I think about those words. I can’t even begin to tell you the story of how God is already using that money. There will be another day that we can tell you that story.

These are the people we sit beside each week in worship, folks…those who give so that God can be given glory for being our Provider, those who sacrifice because they know what Christ sacrificed for them, those who understand God’s heart in such a way that they know He is big enough to meet all of our needs. I have been humbled by that thought.

Sometimes, my god (little “g” intended) is too small to meet my needs. My flesh doesn’t allow me to think such grandiose thoughts about Him, that He might want me to sacrifice so that He can use it to bless others now. Then there is that next level of trust that knows God is capable now of using someone else to bless me later. I’m ashamed that my mind would have never gone there. I want to trust Him like that.

God’s math doesn’t work like ours. He asks us to give our five loaves and two fish and He feeds thousands. Then, for kicks, He leaves us twelve baskets of leftovers. I want to give my whole offering to the Master, not just my money (though that can be a challenge). I want Him to use all of my life in this way. I want my actions to match my words. I want to lay everything on the altar and give God full control…heart, soul, mind and strength.

My Prayer for Trace Crossing:

Oh God, teach us to trust. Teach us to believe that You are big enough, not just to handle our problems, but to handle our daily decisions. Teach us to bring every decision before You in prayer. Help us to understand Your math, Your plan and Your timeline. You have all the resources. Teach us to be good stewards of our time, energy, money and passion. May our lives be lifted high as an offering to You.

DAY 4: FREEDOM by Brenda West

DAY FOUR: FREEDOM by Brenda West
First and foremost, I feel so blessed that God loved me so much that he would lead me to the church that I had been longing to be a part of. Here is how I got to Trace Crossing. I had shared with my daughter Stephanie that I felt God was leading me in a different direction. She suggested I talk to her friend Emma Kate because she had been telling Stephanie about the church, and was very excited about what was going on there. So there I went, calling a lady I had never laid eyes on. When she talked about the church, there was excitement in her voice. I had not heard "EXCITEMENT" about church in years. Emma Kate invited me to visit, and I have been there ever since! Praise God!

The part I love most about Trace Crossing is the freedom to worship! I was asked the other day in one word to describe my church. My answer was “Freedom!” Just to come before the Lord with total peace in my heart. I hope that makes sense. Hey, I can raise my hands in praise, dance if I want to, fall to my knees and pray if that's what the Lord leads me to do. AWESOME! It is wonderful to be at a church with people who are seeking God in the most powerful way. Not seeking self but seeking God!

My prayer for the church is:
Father I ask you to bless Trace Crossing. To lead us in the direction You have for us as a church family. Help us to be bold yet humble.Lord I ask that we be a church of Grace, Love, an Hope to ANYONE who enters the doors.Help us to be good stewards with the blessings only you can give.I love you Lord Jesus, in Christ name I pray… AMEN