next sunday, june 8th is the first of our neighbor sundays.
1 service at 10a with baptisms and an outdoor brunch to follow,
BE IN THE ROOM!!!!
look closer
1. one of my families most famous stories of childhood comes from a summer afternoon where my parents noticed my brother not playing with the normal pack of kids. we lived in a great neighborhood in arlington heights with lots of kids and tons of games to play. people started yelling my brothers name, no answer. other parents were summoned, he wasn’t inside their house either. now circling the neighborhood, dozens of people shouting his name, where is landon? the police were called, there is a missing child! right around the time the police showed up, landon was found taking a nap on a beanbag chair inside his closet.
2. we have had 2 times in the 4+ years of good news in the neighborhood where we momentarily didn’t know where a child was. people went running across the street, downstairs, over to the park but non of that was necessary: she was hiding under my desk, like 10 feet away from where she was last seen, he was hiding in the back of the good news truck, like 5 feet from where he was last seen.
the commotion causes people to run fast towards worst case scenarios, but usually the most logical place is right near where things were last seen.
3. the remote for the upstairs tv at my house is the BANE of my existence. it’s small, so it endlessly falls into the cushions or under a blanket and when i want to watch something, magically none of my children know where it is. when i harness the proper helpers, we always end up finding it quickly and right under the sectional.
you usually find the truth by looking closer not by looking farther away
this week kristen + i got away for a few days just the two of us. it was the first time in a couple years we have been to spend significant time away from the church + the kids together. we sat by the pool and read. we slept in. we prayed + talked about the future.
and all of a sudden, the million little annoyances that come with running a church + 4 busy kids fall away and we are joyfully in love.
we have a wonderful marriage. but the pressures of all we do and all we do together tend to put emphasis on the things that annoy us. i tend to be a $pender and a dreamer and to want to make everything happen today. she has no weaknesses of course. but when you remove the daily grind, all that stuff melts away and we love spending time together.
so many people i know in the stressful middle of life think a new partner is going to make them happy. if i could humbly suggest, often creating space to look at the one you already have with fresh eyes will likely bring the joy you are looking for.
you usually find the truth by looking closer not by looking farther away
Last Week’s Sermons
i finished the gospel of John with a message on comparison, it will help you, i promise!
A Prayer for Monotony
Lord,
Some days feel heavy with repetition, Like I’m just going through the motions Burned out, worn thin, numb with emotions.
When the daily grind dulls my spirit, may Your mighty hand refresh and renew me- reveal a new me.
When routine feels like a slow demotion, remind me You are present in every moment. Breathe new life into my work, my words, my worship.
Give me fresh vision for the ordinary, And joy that defies the mundane.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
—from artist Sharon Irving
New Song
new song: we are introducing this simple praise song on Sundays this month, can’t wait to sing it with you
every sunday … we will update the music from the previous Sunday on this playlist, hopefully helps you connect with things a little better.
Saturday Morning Book Review
this book bummed me out so much. an in-depth look at everything leading up the disastrous debate and media scrum leading to Kamala Harris being elevated to Presidential nominee, virtually no one in this book comes across well. even those telling their experiences accurately now are doing so from the safety of hindsight. many of these people would have served their president, party, and country better by being more forthright when the story was unfolding.
the book appears very well reported and seems to try and find a reasonable way of interpreting the facts, not an overt pile-on.
this is my reading, the decision to try and hide President Biden limitations was much less about ‘defrauding the public’ and much more about something very common, preserving power and having a difficult time telling someone in charge the truth.
this is something many people working corporate jobs struggle with greatly and could grow in.
this is good news,
luke + kristen