Friends,

I hope you are all staying cool!  We had a meaningful fellowship brunch and Bible study last Sunday.  It was good to catch up with one another and talk about Jacob’s wrestling match with God (Genesis 32:22-32)!  One point we all took away is that there is no blessing without the wound—no resurrection without the cross.  Even the name Israel, God’s new name for Jacob, means “contends or wrestles with God.”   It seems that struggle is embedded into the very fabric of our reality!  I take comfort in knowing that God brings us through all things (even this hot summer)!

On a personal note, God has even brought me through the struggle-filled years of raising a daughter.  There were times when she was a teenager that I about pulled my hair out, and many of you listened sympathetically to my laments and told me not to lose hope.  Yes, God was there, guiding all of us.  Last November she married a nice man, and as a 60th birthday present to my husband Clint, she and her husband announced last night that we will become grandparents in March!  Needless to say we are thrilled!  Here is a wonderful example of struggle giving rise to blessing.  God is GOOD!    

I am looking forward to getting back into regular worship on Sunday, September 17 and seeing all of you on a consistent basis. 

In Christ,

Co-Pastor Sandi