AUGUST 2020

Babylonian Captivity

If you’ve read the prophet Jeremiah, you’ve grieved along with him in warning God’s people about the coming captivity. God warned them again and again and again. And they choose to ignore Him again… and again… again.  It’s heartbreaking.  As I read along, I am angered and bewildered why the people won’t listen! What else can God do to get their attention?

Nothing. There is nothing else He can do. They don’t want to listen. Their hearts are hardened. Their ears are closed.  The God that has been so faithful to them as a chosen people for the last 500 years is no longer a priority. They are worshipping idols made of wood and stone (which God points out is sheer ridiculousness). They are sacrificing their children to these man-made idols (a hideous and gross practice). They are content with sin.

And then, the book of Lamentations—a short little 5-chapter book highlighting Israel’s lament after Judah is destroyed and her inhabitants are carried off to Babylon for a 70-year captivity.  It is in Lamentations where they finally they cry out and begin to recognize the error of their ways.  But this book isn’t so much a book of sorrow, as it is a recognizing that God’s plan for His judgement and their sorrow has been and always will be to return their hearts to Him.

In reading this, I can’t help but ask:

”God, what are you trying to teach us?”

He’s got my attention. We are feeling pain. We have seen destruction. And in a way, COVID-19 is holding us in captivity.  So I keep asking God what to do. What is our response? How are we to act? What are the next steps for the church?

Is He trying to get our attention? Have our hearts hardened? Are we worshipping other gods and man-made idols?   Are we content with sin?

Watch this short and well-made summary of the book of Lamentations: https://youtu.be/p8GDFPdaQZQ

Leah Carolan
Director of Worship & Media

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AUGUST 2020

You Can Make a Difference

This morning I remembered the story of Esther. An ordinary young woman who became a queen and found herself in the middle of a crisis. Faced with an extraordinary challenge, would she act boldly or remain silent? Her uncle Mordecai asked this pivotal question: “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

Mordecai knew that God would save the people; the only question was: Who would God use to accomplish this deliverance? In this (long?) season of uncertainty, I have no doubt that God is alive and active and will accomplish His work in our community and around the world. I do wonder who God wants to use.

I wonder if, but for a time like this, God has placed us strategically in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and families to offer encouragement and hope. We are the kind of people who bring good news of great joy to the world. Who knows but that you are the right person, in the right place, at the right time, to make a difference?

As we prepare for the fall season there are still many questions about how we engage with each other. Safety is important as reaching out with the love of Jesus. We are the kind of people who reach out to love others with hospitality, authenticity, and forgiveness. We reach out to bring restoration. We long to see all that is broken in our world fixed.

You can make a difference in restoring the world back to the way it ought to be!

Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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AUGUST 2020

Noah’s Ark Update

July Summer School was a great success!  We had 16 students attend for three weeks.  Using the new recommendations and guidelines given to us by the CDC and DHS, the classroom management went well. The kids had a blast and I know the teachers really enjoyed getting back to school and seeing all of those beautiful faces ready to learn!

Registration for the 2020-2021 school year continues to grow. Our 4-year-old class is full at 20 and both of our 3-year-old classes are at 12.

Orientation Night is scheduled for Thursday, August 20. This night will look a little different than previous years.  Orientation will be divided into three groups.

• Mon/Wed/Fri 3-year-old classes from 4:00-4:45pm
• Tues/Thurs 3- & 4-year-old classes from 5:00-5:45pm
• Mon/Wed/Fri 4-year-old classes from 6:00-6:45pm

Students may come with one adult (no siblings will be allowed this year). Adults will be required to wear a face mask while in the classroom. Parents will meet in the church Gathering Space at 15 minutes past the hour to review the Noah’s Ark Handbook.  Parents and students will be asked to leave promptly to ensure we can reset the room for the safe entry of the next group. See you all soon!

Kris Crowther
Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool

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AUGUST 2020

HONORING THE ELDERLY

“Even to your old age, I will be the same. And even to your greying years, I will bear you!  I have done it! I will carry you! I will bear you, and I will deliver you!” (Isaiah 46:4)

My father had a few rough edges, but one positive thing that he passed on to me was a deep respect, maybe even admiration for the elderly. I remember traveling to exotic places like Holland Michigan, the Ice Follies in Chicago, or the Amana Colonies on my uncle’s charter tours.  Every now and then I would experience the feeling of a hand slapping the back of my head. By the time I was a pre-teen, I learned that this familiar stinging sensation meant “Stop and Pay Attention!” Most of the time it involved letting an elderly person on the bus first, holding the door, or giving up my seat. I began to realize that these older people must be important, so I began to talk to them on these exotic adventures. I quickly found out that these grey-haired, glasses-wearing folks were some of the most interesting people that I had ever met.

Again, I would not say that my father was a frequent church attender, but every couple of months, he would volunteer to drive the church van to various nursing homes and care facilities to bring “shut-ins” to Sunday evening service. I began to ask him if I could come along. I really enjoyed pushing these elders in their wheel-chairs, listening to their stories, and helping them find the right hymn number during service. Also, I think that my Dad enjoyed sharing these times with me.

God, our Heavenly Father, desires that we honor the elderly as well. Here are a few verses from His Word that articulate this:

“You shall rise up before the gray-headed and honor aged, and you shall revere your God. I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:32)

“Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father,… the older women as mothers…” (I Timothy 5:1-2)

“You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders, and all of you, clothe yourself with humility toward one another.  God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble!” (I Peter 5:5)

I encourage anyone reading this to write a quick note, make a brief call, or even stop in for a short visit with an elderly person that you know. You will not only be blessed, but you will be honoring God!

Gary Sager
Ambassador of Care

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August 2020

Connection Vs. Control

In college, I didn’t talk to my roommate and best friend for a month because I didn’t like who she was dating. I thought he wasn’t mature enough for her.

When I use passive-aggressive behavior, it’s because I think my actions are right and yours are wrong. I use it as a means of grasping (perceived) control. It’s a way to send subtle messages about a behavior I want you to change. In short, I use passive-aggressive behavior when I allow my pride and selfishness to take center stage.

Pride and selfishness are issues I struggle with every day, due to my sinful nature. I have been struggling every single day this week with feeling hard-hearted towards a close friend of mine. Our relationship has been strained for several months. My hard heart slips into passive-aggressive actions towards her. My anger increases as my compassion decreases.

Our sinful nature comes with us to our Small Group. People in small groups are creating and sustaining a connection between hearts. If that sounds undesirable, it’s probably because your heart has been hurt before. Why bother to move towards relationships, towards the mess that always comes with people getting connected?

Because connection through community is what Jesus calls us to. It’s what we are made for. Again and again Jesus calls us to forgive and move towards each other in relationship. That often involves dying to our own pleasures and preferences.

Sometimes dying to my own desires looks a lot like picking up the phone instead of communicating my way. Often it means responding with grace and truth instead of responding with my natural passive-aggressive behavior.

My college best friend and her boyfriend got married and just celebrated 11 years together. As it turns out, I was the immature one. Happily we are all friends now. This is a picture of friendship and love that God created us to take part in.

The redhead in each of these pictures is the one who I didn’t speak to for a month.

Lindsey Ungs
Connection & Communication Architect

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