By Sean Nelson, Pastor of Discipleship
             No scripture in the entire Bible has been quoted more than John 3:16. In it, we see the heart of God, the passion of the Christ, and the hope for all humanity. But I’m not referring to this specific “3:16” but to another.
                  ~ 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ~
            Charles Spurgeon said, “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.” The falling apart would probably come from pages folded in order to remember favorite stories or passages, notations in places where there’s no room, binding weakened from turns, folds, placement, etc. and you get the picture. A person who has submitted to the truth that the word of God is the sustenance of life is the person who God reveals himself to and uses to build his Kingdom.   
            When Satan tempted Jesus to turn a stone into bread (which substance is more important) Jesus resisted the temptation by quoting Duet 8:3, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The mouth of God is the BIBLE and it doesn’t shut up! It the wisdom of life, the standard for living, and the regiment for living righteously, so that as his workmen we execute his will and way on Earth as it is in Heaven.
            COTHA family, let’s cling to every word that has come from His mouth so that people see Christ in us. Because after all, you are what you eat.
Psalm 34:8 O Taste and see that the Lord is good. In His presence and with His people.

by Darrel Proffitt, Lead Pastor
I have been working behind the scenes in the search for a new Youth Pastor.   We now move into the next phase of our search. From now until the call this fall, it is important that you know what we are doing. Please start (if you haven’t already begun) praying for both our search committee and the candidates who we will be interviewing.  We will begin praying for both in our worship services starting this weekend.  We are reaching out to a couple more people to be on the committee and when that is finalized I will let you know who all is serving in this vital work.
I have expanded the team to include more parents, volunteers and youth.  I will be working directly with them as we do the important work that lies before us.  This will include dreaming, praying, and discerning.  We will work with all due diligence to narrow our list of candidates to three and bring them in to meet both parents and students.  From that group, we will make our decision about who we feel God is calling us to select.
At this point, we need all of COTHA to commit to praying for this process, the team and the candidates.  If you would like any information about anything in this process, let me know.  I am excited to complete our work together.  Stay tuned for further information as we move forward.
In the meantime, both volunteers and staff are serving our Youth.  I am serving as the interim Youth Pastor and am present on Wednesday nights for teaching and fellowship.  I am also directly connecting with students on Sunday mornings.  I am looking forward to building some great connections and helping all our students experience God’s love and to feel more connected to both COTHA and me.

By Paula Wilbrant


The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, says Brother David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar. And happiness, he suggests, is born from gratitude.
Every moment is a gift from God and every moment we are given opportunities. It’s what we do with those opportunities that are important.  When we open our hearts, we have the opportunity to help others and by doing so, we offer them opportunities. It’s a win, win, when this happens; we are living into the blessing of life.
If we are grateful we act out of a sense of enough instead of a sense of scarcity. I must say that I’ve experienced this at various times in my own life. When problems are overwhelming and the cloud of fear continues to hang over my head I become frozen and can’t even think clearly! However, if I quiet my mind, pray and start counting my MANY blessings, moment-by-moment I become so full of appreciation and gratefulness that I could burst!  Even though the problem still remains, it’s just not as all consuming and debilitating as it was before. At that time, I then have a better perspective and have the ability to solve the problem by thinking logically.
This lesson in life has been one of the most important to me. It really works because by going to God in prayer, giving thanks and counting my blessings, I am living in a place of gratefulness. Thanks be to God!

By Darrel Proffitt, Lead Pastor
What is all of the Orange stuff about?
If you have been around COTHA the last few weeks, you have been hearing a lot about “Orange.”  You might be like me and think “Orange isn’t my favorite color, why do we want to have orange around?”  Orange is a strategy and curriculum to move all of our family ministry ahead.  Frankly, it is really isn’t that big of a change since we have been working to keep all of our program concentrating on common themes.  Let me share what the Orange people themselves say about going Orange:
Founder of the Orange Conference, Reggie Joiner looks at what would happen if the church and families combined their efforts to create a revolutionary strategy to affect the lives of children.
Families and churches are each working hard to build faith in kids, but imagine the potential results when the two environments synchronize, maximizing their individual efforts. What can the church do to empower the family? How can the family emphasize the work of the church? They can Think Orange. Former family ministry director Reggie Joiner looks at what would happen if churches and families decided they could no longer do business as usual, but instead combined their efforts and began to work off the same page for the sake of the kids. Think Orange shows church leaders how to make radical changes so they can:
• Engage parents in an integrated strategy
• Synchronize the home and church around a clear message
• Provoke parents and kids to fight for their relationships with each other
• Recruit mentors to become partners with the family
• Mobilize the next generation to be the church
With a transparent, authentic approach that gives every family and church hope for being more effective in their common mission, Think Orange rethinks the approach to children’s, youth, and family ministry.
For most parents and students, it won’t feel like much of a change at all.  We still have classes and teachers.  Our children will still be learning about God’s love for them.  The biggest difference will be seen in the fact that we will spending our time on developing relationships and not on designing and developing curriculum.  Join us this Sunday after the 10:30 service in Grand Central to learn more.

By Eli Dawson, Interim Family Pastor


This has been a long summer filed with many activities for all of us, and now it’s time to jump back into the fall. The Family ministry schedule has been full of mission trips, VBS, water balloon fights, and lock-ins, but now it’s time to re-focus on what we will be doing to further the kingdom and spiritual growth this fall.
We are called to raise the next generation in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ at COTHA, and for a long time we have struggled with what the best method to accomplish God’s calling would be. We’ve tried working on our own in each area of ministry and everyone working together to write material based on Sunday sermons, but this has fallen a short of the impact we could have for the kingdom if we all worked together with one end in mind.
Now, after several months of prayer, discernment, and testing, we have found a strategy that combines a focused direction, tons of resources, a network of leaders, and a plan to partner with parents in ministry…this strategy is called Orange. The incredible thing about Orange is that it is not new to COTHA. We have always been a church that “Thinks Orange,” we have just never had the resources internally to reach the standard and calling from God we felt were necessary to grow the kingdom.  We have always been passionate about raising the next generation in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ, equipping and partnering with parents to answer the same biblical calling, and having intentional transitions between each area of ministry.
With Orange we take our focus off of programs, what to teach, or writing curriculum and re-focus on relationships. Relationship is the investment that makes ministry possible. For far too long we have neglected our relationships (with parents, leaders, and the church). Now is the time to re-connect what is disconnected, to form new bonds, and to look to the future of what God has called the COTHA Family into.
The church has far less opportunities to impact a student’s life than the family, while the church only gets 40 hours per year on average, the family has 3000 hours per year. We recognize that challenge and want to equip families to take ministry beyond Sunday mornings in the church building and give them resources to continue the conversation into the regular rhythm of their lives.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[b] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
- Deuteronomy 6:4-9
In the rhythm of life we must focus on God and teaching His truth to our children & students continuously. We have a limited time to impress upon them the love of God through Christ. We must be vigilant and intentional. For Lindsay and I, we have 818 weeks until Rosie graduates from High School. That is not very long. We must be intentional with each moment of each day.  We are all in the same boat with our children-- limited time with a huge calling. We want to partner with and equip you so you can focus on this relationship in your family.
Join us this Sunday for the COTHA Family Parent Meeting at 12:15 in Grand Central. It is imperative that you attend so that we can truly partner for the first time to make an impact in your child’s life.

By Darrel Proffitt, Lead Pastor
I am reading an excellent book on the importance of reflecting on the power of the Gospel on our every day life.  This quote touched my heart: If you grasp what a treasure the presence and acceptance of God are, then even when life goes really wrong you will have a joy that sustains you, because you'll recognize the value of what you have in Him. When life punches you in the face, you'll say: But I still have the love and acceptance of God, which I don't deserve. And the joy you find in that treasure can make you rejoice even when you have a bloody nose.  The power of the Gospel, knowing that have been made worthy to stand before God is the ultimate game changer.  The challenges and struggles we face begin to fade into the background the more we both reflect on and take into our heart the fact that nothing we have done makes God love us any less and nothing we can do will make God love us any more than he already does.
Sometimes life can overwhelm us.  We can feel all alone.  But we’re not.  God is not only present with us; God’s love is both personal and limitless.  What do you need to do to get in a place where you can experience this fundamental truth?  Sometimes we need to hear it from someone else.  Sometimes another person’s story of experiencing God’s love despite the “bloody nose” that they were struggling with can be of help.  My prayer is that you will find some way or someone that can help you know of the limitless and personal love of God.

By Paula Wilbrant, Ministry Pastor of Care




This morning I was so blessed by attending “morning prayer” at COTHA. Our lead Pastor, Darrel started doing this recently after being blessed himself by attending “morning prayer” while at Camp Allen this summer.
In Matthew 18:19-20 Jesus says, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there I am also” I know, without a doubt in my mind, that God’s spirit was with us this morning while just a handful of us were joined together in His name.  It was beautiful and I didn’t want the time to end.
God tells us numerous times in the Bible to go to him with our prayers, retreat to a “quiet place” and share our desires of the heart. He WANTS us to communicate with Him. He has given us the gift of prayer and He wants us to use that gift.
Phillipians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Thank YOU GOD!!!

​By Christian Wilsher, Student Intern

If I were to descibe a single way that our culture doesn't fall in line with Scripture, I would say that it is the notion of servanthood. We take pride in ideas like independence even when the Bible tells us that we are all branches that must cling to the vine. We are told to pursue the American dream when the Bible tells us to walk in the Spirit. We are told that "it's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees" but Christ told us that "As surely as I live, every knee will bow before me."
 
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15
 
This week, I was reminded of the fragility of the kingdoms we build for ourselves. I was supposed to go to my Monday morning class at UH but before leaving my house I received a call from my former soccer coach and current coaching mentor. He was almost in tears so I rushed to his house to speak with him. Now my coach has been through a lot in his life. A professional soccer player from Romania, he escaped political persecution with his wife and sought asylum in the United States. He came to this country with nothing but managed to build two of Texas' most influential soccer clubs and taught soccer to many of the current A-list coaches. I played under him and that's where he encouraged me to use my energy and talents to change the lives of students just as he has. So why did he call me? A school that had named their field complex in his honor threatened donors that if they didn't invest in other programs in the school, they would take his name off of the field. In many ways, he sees this as the tearing down of his life's work.
 
Solomon struggled with the same notion and wrote about it in Ecclesiastes. A king with vast knowledge and resources, he was torn over the notion that everything he had would eventually be given to someone else after his death and would turn to do dust. He finally came to the conclusion that the only thing that matters is what is eternal. He sums it up well when he proclaims, "For whom am I toiling?"
 
Something or someone is the master of your life and I hope that someone is Jesus Christ. What you build up for yourself as the master of your life will crumble but what God can do in your life will resonate through generations. My coach's name may not be remembered in 100 years but the lives he changed will impact hundreds of people that will never meet. Members of COTHA, do you cling to the vine that is Christ? Are you going to die on your feet in your kingdom built of straw and costly stones or will you bow to will of Christ and be a servant in the kingdom that will reign eternal?

​By Sean Nelson, Pastor of Discipleship
 
This is the time of year my kids hate -  Back-to-School shutdown. Early rise, early bedtime, no tv, no video games, etc. We go full blown military style!
 
If you know me then you know it's not that serious. Typically, we encourage the kids by taking a trip the week before or go to a nice restaurant for a big dinner. This year we're trying something different. We're asking each of our kids to answer the questions below and we're taking them out for ice cream, individually, to learn more about them and how we can grow with them. 
 
I encourage you to make the questions your own and if you don't have kids maybe try this with a niece or nephew or neighborhood kid you've developed a relationship with. God loves Intentionality! 
 1. Write down you're favorite moment in school last year
A. Academically
B. Socially
C. Spiritually (God revealing himself, experience ágape love for a friend, etc.) 
2. A situation that made yoy feel uncomfortable (teacher comment, friend asking them to do something wrong, etc.) 
3. What would you do differently? 
4. What will you repeat that made you successful?  
5. What friends brought out the best in you?
6. What friends brought out the worst in you?
7. The best help mommy and daddy provided? Grade us.
8. Was there a time you wish we did something for you?
9. What can we do differently this year?

 
 
O taste and see! In his presence and with his people. 

By Darrel Proffit, Lead Pastor
Proverbs 3:5 English Standard Version (ESV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
I am never surprised that I am often surprised.  Does that make sense?  It is so easy to fall into the trap that life is intended to be easy, that each day will go smoothly, and problems are easily surmountable.  I suppose that is human nature. The surprise comes when the problem comes, when you look at an issue you face seems so overwhelming that you can hardly take a breath.  You know it is coming but it always takes me by surprise.
Jesus was very clear that life is not easy.  If anything it is messy.  What do we do when we face the unexpected, the difficult, the overwhelming challenge? 
I think that the first thing we need to do is to remember that God is not surprised by the challenge.  We also need to remember that He is sovereign and desires that we grow from the challenges.  But that is never easy.
The writer of Proverbs gives us the key to not only surviving those challenges but to grow from them.  He wrote, “trust in the Lord with all your heart.”  Faith is being certain about that which you cannot see.  When we face challenges we cannot see how they will turn out.  All we can see is the challenge.  If we will seek to take our eyes off the challenges and put them on the Lord and trust that He is at work, the sting of the surprises lessens. 
But that is not all we do.  We are called to stop over analyzing things.  We will never figure it all out but we do not have to.  We are to “not lean on our understanding.”  God has you in the palm of His hand.  We can drive ourselves crazy trying to figure everything out.  If we could stop that and start leaning on God, these surprises can be transformed into something that works out for your good and God’s glory.  Amen.