November 2 Coffee Church Highlights
It was nice to see everybody on Sunday! This was a trying week with several tragedies to walk through in the lives of people we love. It is always a blessing to see the smiles, hug some people, and be with other Christ-followers in the midst of the good and the bad.
On a sad note, we lost one of our own since my last blog. Gina Large passed away very suddenly late Tuesday night. She is a wife and mother to two great kids, so your prayers are needed for them this week. Her family attended our Hazel Dell campus, but visited Battle Ground regularly as well. The memorial service will be Thursday at 2:00 pm at the Hazel Dell Campus (www.coffeechurch.com). You are welcome to come and celebrate her life. And thank you to everybody who jumped in to provide meals over the next several weeks!
Then on Wednesday, two of our youth staff from our Battle Ground campus were in a very scary car accident. We are so thankful that they are alive and healing! Would you pray for a quick recovery for Nate and Jessica? They have some significant bumps, bruises, and a fracture to deal with and we are believing that God can make this process quick and miraculous!
On a positive note, Sunday services were awesome! Great sermon series as we navigate the book of Mark, with great worship to accompany our praise. We are blessed with a group of people who have amazing talent partnered with beautiful hearts.
Our small groups are going SO WELL!!! We picked a difficult study guide that requires real work, but people are rising to the occasion and learning so much. I have never been more proud of the people of North Creek than I am as I watch them dive into the Bible. We may not understand all of it, but by doing our best to know it, we allow God to use it when He needs it. You just never know when something you have read years prior will suddenly be brought to life through the Holy Spirit.
I have been praying even more than usual for many of you. As you deal with loved ones in the hospital, death, and grief, I know that the God of Hope is near you. Lean into His love and it will help you navigate whatever you will face on this earth.
In addition to everything else, would you consider making your church attendance a priority for you and your family? We live in a culture where we “just need a day off” or “there’s a game on”…I get it. But eternity is a bit closer for me this week and it’s clearer how temporary this earth really is. Our kids need to be in the house of God…we need to be in the house of God. Ringing in my ears are the final words with Gina that I will ever have…On what would be her last Sunday in church, I asked her how she was doing and she said, “I’m better now. Better that I’m back at church and back with Jesus.” Little did she know that “With Jesus” was about to get more real than she could ever imagine.
On what ends a very weighty week, know that Mark and I love you. We love being your pastors, we love the coffee dates, we love growing alongside of you, we love your hearts to give and serve, we love this story that we all get to be a part of.
And as always…be blessed!