Laurel Springs Christian Church

05/20/2026

God has chosen us to be Christ's representatives on earth. Each believer has abilities from God that strengthen the whole body. Whether small or large, your special ability is for God’s service. We should live in a way that honors our calling. This means being humble, gentle, patient, understanding, and peaceful. With those characteristics God creates heroes for us so we can be someone else's hero. INSPIRE e-magazine interviewed one such person who had heroes come into his life and then became one himself. His story is not all that different from people and kids you know here in East Tennessee. See if you can identify with heroes that came into the life of Mr. Luciano Pinheiro, who moved to Goa, India in 2006. He serves the underprivileged with his wife Adriana. They both embody being Christ’s representatives and are passionate about their service to God. People are watching your life — do they see Christ in you?

The full interview can be found at https://strenthenthruchrist.wordpress.com./2026/03/13/representing-christ-through-service/

Q. Were your parents believers from the beginning? When did you come to know the Lord?

LP: The biggest sign of God’s grace in my life is seeing where I came from. I grew up in a very troubled family. My dad met my mom only once. They didn’t date or marry. They met at a party, spent the night together, and that was it. She never saw him again after that night. She saw him later, when I met him for the first time; I was around six years old.

Q. So, you are the only son?

LP: No, I have siblings – a sister and an adopted brother. My grandmother has seven kids in total. One of them is differently-abled and is 60 years. All her daughters have at least two kids each. When I was around nine years old, I stayed at my paternal grandmother’s house in her city for a while. And my maternal grandmother would take me to church. Most of them were Roman Catholic, but they were not Protestants.

Q. It is either Catholic or Protestants?

LP: (Laughs!) But to me, they are Christians. Without Roman Catholics, we wouldn’t be believers. For 1,500 years, Catholicism spread widely. Many Roman Catholic priests even lost their lives preaching what was seen as Catholicism. So, we come from a Roman Catholic background but were not Protestants. I grew up in a very unethical background from both sides of my family. If not for the grace of God, I wouldn’t be here, or I might have ended up doing what was unethical in the kingdom of God.

Q. How was your childhood? Was it good?

LP: It was good, but…

Q. What about schooling?

LP: My mom and my father didn’t care about my schooling. They were the kind of youth who used to travel, whole day partying, go here and there… I was brought up by my grandmothers.

Q: So, was your grandmother from a respectable background?

LP: Yes. She worked hard but was not a Protestant!

Q: So let me ask again: How did you come to know the Lord, please?

LP: My mom was the first to know the Lord. I was around 15 at the time. I was not living with her; I stayed with my grandmother because my mom remarried and moved in with her new husband. Later, I found out she converted to a Protestant. Back in 1998, the term “Protestant” was quite new to us.

Q. And, then?

LP: My mother, a Pentecostal, always talked about Jesus and invited me to church. The services were loud and disturbing, especially when the pastor would ask newcomers to stand up and declare their belief. He would say things like, “Today is the day for you to accept Jesus. If you don’t, you’re going to hell!” It was unsettling!

Despite that, I listened to the Word of God. When I was 17, my mom gave me a Gideon’s New Testament Bible. I started reading the Bible all night. As I read more of the New Testament, I felt like the Bible was cleansing my heart and spirit. The Holy Spirit was convicting me through the Word of God. And then one day, I decided that I wanted Jesus in my life, and that I will accept Him soon.

During my daily ride on the bike, I saw some youths playing guitar and singing displaying an aura that they were important and special to God. Their words resonated with me because I had been reading the Bible. My spirit connected with what they were singing. I went home feeling touched by their message.

My grandmother also went to church because of my mom. One day at her church, I decided to give my life to Christ. The pastor asked if anyone wanted to commit themselves to Christ. I went forward and accepted Jesus Christ in my life. The church invited me to join them for prayer and even helped pick me up from where I was staying. The church welcomed me warmly, unlike the outside world where I was overlooked because I was poor. They treated me with love and importance. Looking back, I see that God’s hand was in my conversion. That’s how I came to Christ.

Q. Did you join the church ministry in their activities like the youth, worship, etc.?

LP: When I came to Christ, I used to play guitar but not Christian songs. I was involved in the church ministry, especially with the youth, though I wasn’t leading it. I assisted the leader and helped organize many activities.

Simultaneously, I worked as an administrator in the office. Through a church friend of mine, I got this great job at a multinational company with a good salary. Unfortunately, this led me to backslide. I bought a nice motorcycle, attracted girls, and spent six months partying instead of going to church. One night at a party, I was surrounded by people drinking and dancing, I felt empty. I stepped outside, looked at the moon, and prayed, “Lord, please take me out of this place. I have no strength; I don’t belong here.” I was ashamed because I drifted away from God, and the church people knew that.

That week, someone from the church invited me to a youth retreat. At first, I refused, but he insisted and welcomed me warmly. So, I went. At the retreat, I sat at the back feeling ashamed and lost in my thoughts. The guy who discipled me when I first came to Christ noticed me. He taught me how to read the Bible and fast. He hugged me, and for the first time, I felt God’s love so strongly. It was like God was telling me He missed me. I cried continuously and felt God’s love deeply. That day changed everything for me – a new beginning. This time I decided to give my life fully to the Lord and be in the full-time ministry so others could experience what I felt that day.

05/04/2026

3. What is so special about church? Continued......
3. Public worship is more edifying than private.
When I’m at home I choose worship songs I enjoy singing. I pray for the needs closest to me, and I search for sermons and teaching that address the topics I like. I want to be spiritually satisfied. That’s a good thing and it builds me up.
But public worship is a chance to build up others. You see it’s not all about me. My voice, as off key as it is, encourages the people next to me while singing. Sharing my thoughts and hearing others viewpoints during Bible study promotes understanding and fellowship among everyone. It’s a chance, like no other to please God the Father. My prayers and songs, joined together with my Christian brothers and sisters, is exactly what God wills us to do according to Ephesians 5:17-20. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

04/19/2026

2. What's so special about church? It would be better for you to read the original post for context if FB allows.

2. There is more of the Lord’s presence in public worship than in private
Feeling close to God is a private part of our relationship with Him. And that feeling of closeness is very natural in a private setting away from wiggling children, off key singing, or even in an awkward Old Testament reading. Private worship does have a freedom and ease about it that gives a feeling of closeness to God.
But let’s look at his promises in scripture for public worship. Jesus speaking in Matthew 18:20 says “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” So, Jesus’ presence is promised in a public gathering for Him. But not just that, He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving in unison as fully mature adults in Christ. (Reference The Message - Ephesians 4:11-13). Also, Jesus called his group of followers His mother, sisters, and brothers in Matthew 12:46-50. It’s in the body, the church, that He welcomed his new family to Him.

04/07/2026

What is so special about church?

In many ways this question is a valid question for today’s believer. Today’s believers have all the technology to view and, to some degree, participate in worship services on-line and on television. They can easily listen to an outstanding sermon, sing hymns with concert musicians, and receive immediate encouragement from friends. So why bother with church?

But in fact, this is a very old question. I came across a sermon written in the 1600’s by a Puritan named David Clarkson entitled “Public Worship to Be Preferred Before Private” while reading an on-line article in Christian Living written by Megan Hill. Megan discusses some of the valid points Clarkson makes that have stood the test of time and technology. We’d like to share some of those points for your enjoyment and consideration over the next few weeks.
To be clear, Christians should worship in private (personal prayer & devotions) and with their families (family prayer & devotions), and in public. One type of worship without the others is rather two-faced. But this discussion on “What is so special about church” is focusing on public worship side of things.

1. The Lord is more glorified by public worship than private

Worship is not about us!!! It’s about God. Humans worship at His invitation, and according to His command, and for His glory. While worship activities can (and should) be done at home, public worship uniquely magnifies Him.
Let’s look at Proverbs 14:28 – “In the multitude of people is the king's honor: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.” This, at least somewhat, indicates that the more people gathered the more honor the King (God) receives. And worship is about Him not us. Then in Psalms 87:2 it says “The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.” This indicates God loves Zion (another name for Jerusalem where the temple of God was located) more than individual dwellings. So the attribute of God we can learn is; God really loves to be worshiped in the place designed for worship.

03/21/2026

Laurel Springs invites the Cosby Community and visitors to our Easter services on 4/5/2026. 8:00 AM Video produced by the church focusing in on what Jesus meant to those who met Him. 9:00 AM Light Breakfast in the Fellowship Hall. 10:00 AM Sunday School, and 11:00 AM Easter worship service

Click this journey to see what Easter means to today's believers.

He Is Risen!

03/11/2026

This card has become a bit special to me recently. It’s not the “artwork” that has touched me so, but that artwork may need some explanation. At about 10 o’clock, you see the circle with the heart, which represents God’s perfect world at the time of creation. Moving clockwise, the stickman running from God’s creation is man rejecting God and running from Him. The circle with squiggles, at the 2 o’clock position symbolizes the sinful world man created after his rebellion against God. The world at 6 o’clock position represents God’s plan of salvation for man. On that world, you can see a crown which is Jesus. The arrow pointed down is Jesus coming from heaven to earth. The cross is Jesus’ sacrificing himself to take upon himself the punishment mankind deserves. The up arrow is Jesus raising from the dead and returning to heaven. The final stickman at 8 o’clock is there to represent those who place their faith in Jesus and go to God.
As I noted before, it is not the “artwork” that impressed me. And, of course, being a follower of Christ, I had heard this worldview before and knew the details. What touched me is the way I came about possessing the little beauty of a card. Recently, I made a trip to Florida to pick up a couple of granddaughters for them to visit Tennessee. As we drove, we decided to stop for a break and a cone of ice cream. So, being the dutiful grandparent I am, we wheeled into a McDonald’s near Cleveland Tennessee and got into what appeared to be a fairly long drive-thru line. This particular drive-thru was a single line with a short concrete barrier on each side so once committed you couldn’t pull out of line. We thought the line would move relatively quickly and we would have our rest and treat and shortly be on our way. Wrong! The line moved very slowly and we were there 20 or more minutes prior to ordering. After ordering we still moved one car length every 5 minutes or so toward the pay window. Then I noticed that the car in front of me was from out of state and had suddenly put their vehicle in park. The driver hopped out and begins to quickly walk back toward my car. I thought to myself, I did not hit his car in the rear, so what could this guy possibly want. When he gets to my window, he pulls out this card and walks me through the great “artwork” story. When finished, the stranger returned to his vehicle and moved up one more car length toward the pay window to take his proper place in line. Then we both eventually got what we had come for and went on our way. After time to reflect upon the situation, I realized this out of state stranger cared enough for me to explain about Jesus. I could have been a very angry person because of the long wait, I could have ridiculed him, argued with him, even shot him. But still he came to me. This card of wonderful “artwork” now reminds me, that I should care enough for others to do the same.

03/02/2026

Have You Lost Your Joy? Take this biblical journey with us to gain some Godly wisdom and recover your joy

“This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!

02/18/2026

Would you take our Participation in Lent poll?

- practice fasting, moderation, self-denial - focus on events leading to Jesus' death - spend more time in scripture & prayer - focus on baptism and repentance.

02/09/2026

02/01/2026

Verse of the Day
Psalm 35:10 NIV
10 My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you, Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them.”