Hi, we are Sam, Melissa and Tucker Masters. We started visiting Collegeside in January and placed membership in February. We have two other children with their spouses who attend here as well. Hannah and Chad Campbell with their sweet twins Jensen and Jameson, and Rachel and Dakota Bateman. We love being part of Collegeside. As soon as we walked through the doors, it felt like home.
Sam and I have been married for almost 30 years and live in Overton County in Rickman. Sam is about to retire from TTU as the Director of Maintenance in November, and I am a retired School Counselor. Tucker is attending TTU majoring in Mechanical Engineering and will graduate in May 2024.
What do we love about Collegeside? In one word...people!! We have met many wonderful people who are so loving and encouraging, and demonstrate what we think heaven will be like. It didn’t take us long to realize that this is a reflection of the leadership. We have never met such a wonderful group of men who serve as shepherds, and we are excited about the new men who are also willing to serve the congregation as our shepherds. The Bible classes we have attended have been so amazing. There is so much Bible knowledge that not only the teachers have, but also the members in the classes. We are excited to be here at Collegeside, to be involved in the work of the church, and look forward to many years of service!
Family Devotional by: Melissa Masters
Do you have trouble seeing at night? You walk through the house trying not to wake anyone up by turning on a light, and you break your little toe by running into a table and start yelling and groaning, realizing if you had just turned on the light you wouldn’t have gotten anybody up! I have trouble seeing in the dark. Especially while driving at night time. One night after Sunday evening worship, I got in the van with my girls and one of their friends. We were meeting some people for supper, and I was in a bit of a hurry. I did all of the normal things you do when you get in your vehicle, buckled my seatbelt, waited til everyone else was buckled in, adjusted my rearview mirror, you know, all the things you do by habit. Now my van’s headlights are set to turn on automatically, but that night I couldn’t see them. I asked my daughter, Rachel, if she could see the lights. She said she could. I asked her if she was sure. I told her to get out and make sure both of them were working. I was positive that something was wrong. When she got back into the van and assured me that everything was working, I realized the problem. When I had gotten into the van doing everything I normally did out of habit, I had put my sunglasses on. At night. In the dark. No wonder I couldn’t see my headlights! For years after that, I was a continuous source of laughter for my family. Yes, even for myself.
Why is it hard to see in the dark? Because darkness is the absence of light. It is the direct opposite of light. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Why is it hard to see/walk/drive in the dark? Because we’re not supposed to! We are supposed to walk in the light—in Jesus Who IS the light. John 12:35-36, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
If darkness is the opposite of light, and Jesus is the light, then what is darkness? The devil of course. If we are in darkness we stumble and fall into the trap of sin. We need to stay away from darkness and anything that comes close to it if we want to be with Jesus. We are even supposed to shine our own Christian light as a refection of Him. Matthew 5:16, “...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”
Follow the light. Be the light. Shine your light! “This little Christian light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine...”
