On our flight back from Denver last Sunday (I finally was able to see and hold Elsie Rain, my new granddaughter), we flew beside the smoke plume from the Caldor Fire. It was truly amazing in one way and quite scary in another as we watched the dark and massive smoke clouds. The fires that have ravaged the Sierra this summer have been genuinely historical in nature. This week, I heard that a fire has never crossed from the West side of the Sierra to the East, and now two fires in Northern California have done it this summer, and both are still burning.

Folks, here are some of the ways we can respond to the fire danger around us. First, we can be careful and diligent to ensure that we don’t carelessly start a fire. Second, we can be ready with a “GO” bag so that we can be ready to leave our homes at a moment’s notice if an evacuation order comes down. Third, we can do our part to make sure we have defensible space around our homes. Fourth, we can pray for our creator God to deliver us from these fires while protecting our firefighters and law enforcement officials who are doing their best to keep us safe. It will take decades for our forests to recover from the devastation from these fires. 

If you’re like me, you’ve felt sickened over what has happened in Afghanistan in the past week. I’m angry and sad that our government’s policies since 9/11 have led to such a debacle as we’ve witnessed. I’m not going to blame anyone since I surely don’t know everything about the situation and circumstances. Will you join me in prayer for the Americans and Afghan people who find themselves without the protection they were promised? Will you join me in prayer for the Afghan Christians who find themselves in a dangerous place? Will you join me in prayer for the women and men of Afghanistan who had begun to build lives based upon the promises of freedom but now find themselves fearing for their lives?

CANCER SURGERY UPDATE. I find myself in a place where I cannot predict or plan the date for my surgery. I am at a new moment of trust as I WAIT for an extensive hospital system to guide me to the surgery schedule. I’m a planner, and it’s so hard for me to wait. In a prayer gathering today, one of the women who spoke to God on my behalf reminded me that Jesus is with me in the waiting as much as He was with me in the days of chemo/radiation treatment and recovery. Would you please pray that I can wait with faith? Please pray that I can grow stronger as I wait because I’m still weak and fatigued from the chemo/radiation treatment I underwent. Please pray for God’s favor because ultimately, He is responsible for schedules and plans. I want to be in the center of His will. As I’ve shared with you, Psalm 27:13-14 are the verses God gave me for this phase of my journey. “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. WAIT FOR THE LORD; Be strong and take heart and WAIT FOR THE LORD.”

LIFE GROUPS FALL LAUNCH. We’re entering a new season with a time of clarification as we launch our small groups. 2021 was a time for us to sharpen our focus as a church to be more intentional in our approach to discipleship and be clearer in our vision to engage together to lead as many people as possible into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We have four pillars to build on – Share Life, Strengthen Faith, Serve Others, and Spread Hope. The Share Life pillar includes our relationship with Jesus and how He calls us to Share Life with Him and each other. The natural outflow of that is that we want our small groups to be intentional in sharing life with each other, therefore we are going to call our small groups – LIFE GROUPS. If you're going to become part of a LIFE GROUP or want more information on what it means, please email Laura or Mark, and they will help you get connected. Our goal is that we will all find a place where we can know and be known, love and be loved, serve and be served, and celebrate and be celebrated as we grow to become more like Jesus.

SUNDAY, we get to wrap up the Sermon on the Mount as we look at Jesus’ clear and direct words about the power of the choices we make. It’s so interesting that after Jesus lays out God’s way for His people, He then gives His followers – and us – the freedom to choose. That’s why we called Sunday’s message Following the Way of Wisdom. I think you’ll find Jesus’ words to be quite challenging – and liberating at the same time. He invites us to walk with Him and follow His way. 

Here are the links you’ll need to be fully prepared for Sunday’s Service:

• Message Notes and Study Guide
• Weekly Spotify Playlist
• Children's Ministry
• Student Ministry 

Joyfully living everyday life on mission in intimacy with Jesus and others,

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