Thank You...

I want to officially thank all those who call Twin Oaks Christian Church & the Uprising.  Below is my letter of Resignation as the Student Ministries Pastor here.  Thank you so much for all that you have done and all that God is continuing to do.

Dear Twin Oaks Family, 

Jenny and I are so honored to be able to call this place home and specifically have the opportunity to work with you as members on a regular basis.  I, Alec, have been so blessed to be lead by a great man in Randy Wheeler and could not be more excited about where the future of Twin Oaks, specifically the Uprising, is headed under his Christ-centered leadership.  

With all of that being said, Jenny and I must regretfully inform you that as of July 24th I have resigned as the Student Ministries Pastor here at Twin Oaks CC.  Jenny and I will be pursuing a job opportunity for her in the graphic design field in Indianapolis, IN effective immediately.  We have spent the last two weeks praying over this decision and although it hurts us so much to leave a church family that has been so loving and wonderful, we are 100% positive that this is what/where God is calling our family to next.  Jenny and I are still very much looking forward to spending a week with your students in the Dominican Republic as well as finishing the summer Uprising Events, but our final Sunday will be August 25th, 2013. 

It has been such a blessing to come under the leadership of an dynamic Pastor and staff.  We could not be more heart-broken to leave a church family that is truly doing the work that God has called them to.  I fully trust that God has already ordained the next Student Ministries Pastor for the position and I am so excited to see the powerful impact Pastor Randy and this entire church family is going to have on this community despite our departure.  

You all have been so loving toward us and we could not be more honored to have spent the time getting to know Randy, the Elders, and our entire team.  You all are such amazing men and women of God.  

God Bless, 

Alec M. Tod 

So Many Books...

If you know me at all, you know how much I love to read.  There is nothing like grabbing your favorite coffee and your favorite book (not to mention highlighter) and studying.  I have spent much of my summer doing just that as I have slowly finishing the books I have in my library in the hopes that in the next couple of years I will have all of my books read.  Here is a list of some recommended reading I would suggest if you are looking for something to get you through until the school year or to lead you into the great winter months.

1.  Altar Ego - Craig Groeschel

2.  Draw the Circle (40 Day Prayer Challenge) - Mark Batterson

3.  Deep & Wide - Andy Stanley

4.  Everyday Church - Chester & Timms

5.  Love Like Jesus - Judah Smith

These are just a couple of some amazing books that I strongly suggest you grab a copy of.  Each of these men has inspired me in a way that I could not image always pointing the finger at God for their success and most of all drawing me closer to my creator.  That is what I am so blessed with, not the knowledge, but the relationship with my loving God that is a product of this.



till another day,





normallyINDIE.

the Modern Christian...

I recently had the honor of preaching a 2 week series at Twin Oaks CC centered on the idea of modern day christianity.  God has recently put a lot of feelings on my heart regarding the "christian" world's interaction with the real world and how most of the time that is limiting the gospel.  Here is the graphic that went along with the series as well as the videos from both weeks.  Enjoy:

Designed by Turquoise Feathers Studio, LLC. 

5/19/13 - The Modern Christian - How the World Sees Us

5/26/13 - The Modern Christian - How we Must Respond

till another day, 

normallyINDIE 

InstaUpdate...

Every once in awhile I like to do something I like to call an InstaUpdate on this blog.  That is just updating you on one of my favorite iOS apps that makes me feel like a real photographer (when in fact my pictures are awful).  I take pictures of about everything and enjoy seeing what my friends have to say both close friends and those famous people we all love to follow.  Here are a couple pictures from the past couple months that I especially liked.  Enjoy:

1st Tourney as the Assistant Golf Coach for Trenton HS

Inspired by Opening Day 2013 & the Struggle I have with living in Detroit, but loving the Cards

One of my new favorite hobbies.  Chemex & Toddy Iced Coffee

My Brother & I's Senior Bricks @ Normal West HS

The Environment @ the Uprising SM

Working on Golf Game, Shooting in the 70s

Keep up to date on all things normallyINDIE on twitter @normallyINDIE & instagram @normallyindie.  Be looking out for more blog updates to come.


till another day,





normallyINDIE

The Bible - Epic MiniSeries...

As many of you may know, The Bible has been center stage over the past 6 weeks and not just because it was Easter two weeks ago, but because the History Channel has aired a 10 part series on The Bible.  Nothing like this has been taken on before by a Director or a group of people, but they decided to take on the entire 66 books of the bible in a 10 hour miniseries.  A daunting task, but courageous to take it on.  

Many of my ministry friends had a lot to say about this series specifically with its' lack of accuracy with the actual scriptures and its' dramatic adaptions, but what I found to be true was that the scriptures were being put on center stage for the past 6 weeks and there were regard viewers like never before.  

As a student minister, I found the Bible miniseries not only to be good, but very beneficial for those I am trying to minister too on a regular basis.  Something that us in students ministries are fighting on a daily basis is the lack of comprehension or understanding of the scriptures.  We are constantly have to communicate and paint a picture from words on a page, that can sometimes be difficult to paint.  But the benefit behind this miniseries is that it does an amazing job of putting faces with the stories.  It allows those that are visual learners the opportunity to engage the scriptures in a new and powerful way.  Thus for those who learn in this way, making the excitement of the scriptures alive and rekindling that fire that may have been lost at a younger age.  

Like everything else that has been produced about the bible or an interpretation of the scriptures, we must understand just that.  It is an interpretation of the scriptures and the directors did not mean for it to be taken as 100% accurate.  They understood that they would be unable to tackle some big sections of the text as well as making some of it more dramatic than need be.  Some of the main concerns I heard from friends of mine was Samson's ethnicity, their accents, & the emphasis on Mary Magdalene.  What I have to say to all of that is that you are missing the bigger picture.  A layperson who has never read the bible in there life is not concerned as to whether Samson was a powerful, white, jewish man or whether Mary Magdalene spoke in a powerful way amongst the disciples, they are seeing the power of God found in the New Testament and ultimately the hope that comes with Jesus Christ.  

What I found to be true was that the powerful picture of Jesus' death and resurrection was depicted in an amazing way for billions of people to see, many of which will be changed by this.  I do believe that God is saying to us that through this series his name is being glorified.  Although there were some minor details that should have been fixed doesn't change the fact that the gospel was being preached in a new and powerful way.  It is important for us as pastors to recognize this importance, despite our scholarly criticism.  

till another day, 

normallyINDIE. 

#C3Conf...

If you have been following my twitter (@normallyINDIE) over the last week, you would have be bombarded with posts regarding the C3 Conference in  Dallas, TX.  It is a church conference designed for church leaders to come together, ask questions about the Real & the Raw and most of all understand God's calling on their to be held at a higher standard.  Sadly, I wasn't able to bring my team with me, but despite all of that God seemed to do so much work in my life personally as well as my ministry life. I would like to share with you some of the big insights that he shared with me during my time in Dallas.  

First being, the God is working through our struggle.  An amazing pastor named Greg Rohlinger (@gregrohlinger) spoke on this idea as he was diagnosed with a terminal illness that is gradually taking his life.  Everyday tasks seemed to become more and more difficult and he could have either cursed God and walked away or continued to follow him because his ministry was not over.  But God was preparing him for what he had to do in the future through the struggle he was facing today.  That is the big take away, that God is allowing you to work through this struggle because you have to work through this in order to be prepared for what is to come.  

Next, Pace Hartfield (@pacehartfield) shared with all of us that "Your Pastor is not your Lord, but your Pastor's leader is your Lord."  This is an amazing idea because so often do we treat our senior pastors with too much respect or very little respect.  What he called us to understand was that if you are not willing to respect your senior pastor for whatever reason, you must respect the calling & authority he was given by God to lead your church.  It is an amazing thing to understand because so many of us either disrespect or undermine our pastors and that is not what God is calling us to do when we step on board as a team staff at church.  

These are just a couple insights from the amazing week that took place in Dallas and I am so excited to go back next year and bring as many people on our teams as possible.  

Below is a recap of the week if you would like more info or to register for C3 2014 then go to click here 

till another day, 

normallyINDIE

After You Believe by N.T. Wright - Book Review...

If you haven't already, you need to pick up any book by NT Wright.  He is not only one of the leading scholars on the New Testament, his experiences in life have led him to write some of the most inspirational books I have ever read.  I am a huge fan of his writings specifically, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, & After You Believe (Justification, Scripture & the Authority of God, Paul, Evil & Justice of God are next on my list).  I just recently finished After you Believe and could not have been more impressed with the level of writing and knowledge that just bleeds from the pages.

This book was dedicated to showing the average christian that is merely not enough to declare you are a christian, but there are action steps that must take place afterward in order for us to truly be set apart from this world.  There are aspects of our past life that must be in stark contrast of our new life, if we are going to call ourselves sons and daughters of Jesus Christ.  It is really a refreshing book that doesn't state that he has it all together or even all of the answers, but merely reminds us of the standard that we are called to live by, most specifically reflecting the love of Jesus Christ in our daily lives.

If you are a reader and are excited about reading books that push your spiritual growth and mental growth then grab this book and anything else Wright has published and get reading.  I am excited for the rest of the books on my list as well as any future writings that he puts out.

till another day,


normallyINDIE

the Slaves are Freed...

Last night was our first night of the Uprising since our atmosphere redesign thanks to a great friend from Metro South Church, Jon Whaley.  If you do not already know, the Uprising is a movement of students in the Down River area of Detroit that are passionately spreading the gospel to the "10,000" students in our area.  It is an exciting time in our ministry with the new year rolling around and we all feel that the Lord is leading this ministry to do something amazing in 2013.

We started out this redesign by working through Mark 5:1 - 13 specifically focusing on the Demons that took control of the man called "Legion".  It was an opportunity for all of us to come together, worship the Lord, and rejoice in the fact that just like Legion we have demons, and just like Legion those demons have been cast out.

God changed many of us last night.  He showed many that we are truly freed from what seemed to bind us, not because of our own doing, but because the demons that so easily destroy our lives tremble at the sound of our Messiah.

Our Messiah has saved us and there is nothing we can do, but rejoice, bow and do everything we can to tell the world just that.  It is an honor to serve in this ministry and I am so excited for the students in the Down River area to be drastically changed by the power of the Messiah.

WE ARE FREED!!!!


till another day,


normallyINDIE

Someday...

We were in staff meeting today at Twin Oaks CC and for the past couple of months we have been working through the book, "Hole in the Gospel" which tells the story of the directer of World Vision, how God called him into that position, and what God is calling his church to do to serve the poor.  It is a great book that really brings to light what seems to always stay in the shadows.  But this is not yet another book review.  This is instead a story about what I hope to be Someday.

Our pastor at Twin Oaks has challenged us recently with the idea of Generosity and as someone who has been around the church for much time, I understand that each church does a series on money, giving, and what to do with it.  Sometimes I have found myself to be desensitized to this because I have heard these messages so many times.  But for some reason God grabbed my wife and I and said it is time to listen up.

He has not only brought to light the fact that we, as humans, have the cure to AIDS, water deprivation, malnutrition, poverty.  This cure can be found in our bank accounts.  But I did not feel that God said it is time for you to write a check, I mean he is probably calling us to do that, but much more he is calling us to change our attitudes.  Change our attitude when it comes to money and possessions all together.

I have had a couple people in my life that I just feel exude God and what I feel like Jesus would be like.    It all began with having a nature of a servant.  Not just going on a mission trip here and there, but truly putting all others in this world ahead of their own needs.  This means finances are included.  Instead of thinking about how I am going to buy a new iPhone or how I am going to go on a vacation with my beautiful wife (both are much deserved), I would love to get to the point when I say how are we gonna pay for rent because we have spent all of our money helping our friends, family, or people that we may not even know.  I do not think God is calling us to be irresponsible, I merely think God is asking us to change our attitude when it comes to money and taking care of ourselves.

He is asking us to truly say that all these things on this earth are rentals from him and we should never worry that we will be taken care of because we have always been taken care of, not because of anything we have done, but all because of Jesus.

I am not at that point in my relationship with Christ, but I hope that my wife and I can take the steps that we need to start to be more like him in this way.  I hope that i can think of others first when I am paying the bills and how my money (not my excess) can go to help someone else.



till another day,



normallyINDIE