fortunately made peace with her God before she left this world. When she passed she was wrapped in a Prayer Shawl made for her by the lovely ladies of First Pres. I gave it to her the last time I saw her and she loved it so much. I know that she is in a much better place now but somehow that hasn’t helped me process my grief any faster. I know about the stages of grief but knowing about them and making an effort to go through them is a different story. But, thankfully a very surprising thing happened to me recently that strengthened my faith in God.

One of the ways that I have been coping is by spending more time with my Bible. Especially the Psalms, which historically I didn’t read often, but I found that they were very comforting. A few weeks ago I read Psalm 42:1-2, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” The comparison of the weary, parched deer who longs for relief from his thirst by finding water and the feelings I have of being exhausted by my grief are similar. I, however, know in my heart that my answer is spending more time in the presence of God -- through prayer and by reading the scriptures. As I spent time contemplating God’s strength and love, I also prayed for a sign from Him to reassure me that He was there for me, that He understood my pain, and that he had my beautiful Annie in His warm embrace.
 
A couple of weeks ago I experienced an amazing thing which I felt was definitely a sign that God was there for me. I always feel closer to God when I am outside so, after absorbing the message of the Psalm, I went outside for a walk on our property. We have 5 acres so there is a lot of wildlife. There are deer, moose, raccoons, and many varieties of birds. My favorites are the California Quail who have been nesting and just hatched their flock of tiny fluff balls. I have been watching a group of 12 twelve chicks and two dutiful parents for a few days. It has been so fun to watch them grow. We also have two dogs, so the trick for us is to keep them from chasing the birds. I didn’t see the quail when I went outside, so I threw a ball for the Golden Retriever into some tall grass. As she raced after the ball there was suddenly a huge commotion. It appeared that I had inadvertently thrown the ball into the center of the flock. The parents were squawking, the babies were peeping and trying to fly but they were too little to get very far. I got control of the dog first and started to back slowly away, feeling terrible about what had happened and hoping that none of the chicks were injured. This is where it got interesting.
 
The parents were making a very distinctive noise that I think warned the chicks to stay put. Once quiet was restored and the chicks had settled down I started to go back to the house. But suddenly both parents came out of the tall grass and marched right up to me. As they stood side by side they were making a loud, threatening noise as if daring me to challenge them and I could swear that we made eye contact. These tiny birds were fearless. They would do anything to keep their flock safe. While witnessing this miracle of the wild, I suddenly felt a sense of peace come over me and I believe I felt God’s presence. As the parents continued to advance on the dog and me, we continued to back up. Only when we were a safe distance away did they turn around and return to their family. They made another type of noise once they reentered the grass and slowly led their flock to safety.
 
Thirsting after my Lord as I have been, I considered witnessing this miracle of nature my “proof” that God is here for me. He was definitely there for the little quail and allowed them to protect their flock. I can think of no other explanation for this heroic behavior. And He also allowed me to experience this remarkable situation. If God can be there for such tiny beings, He is definitely there for me. No matter how exhausted I am or what problems I am dealing with, the answer for me is always to turn to the Lord. Spending time in His presence is the only solution for me and I will continue to seek Him every day.
​

In His name,
​Ellen

In the beginning, God created the world, then Adam, and saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so He created Eve. From there families were built and communities began. Life “together”, with one another, really was God’s intention for us from the very start. It’s why we crave it, and why loneliness is such a hard feeling for us to walk in. It’s why we prefer not to sit alone with our thoughts for too long.

We were created to be in a relationship with God and with one another.

Have you ever had a time when you just dreaded going to that event, dinner party, or playdate? Thinking “Ugh, I just don’t want to go. I think I just would rather stay home in my comfy clothes and do nothing," only to realize after the event how much you enjoyed that time with people. Just how much you truly needed it? Or, if you didn’t attend, just how much you wish you had?

Satan loves it when we isolate ourselves.

This isn’t to say that time to rest and be alone is a bad thing. It can be rejuvenating and it is where we spend time individually talking to or growing in our relationship with God. For the most part, those times when we are “just not feeling like being among our community”, are the times Satan is smiling. The more isolated he can get you to be, the more opportunity he gets to start creeping in with dark lies and sad thoughts.

Being together is critical for our spiritual growth.

It’s how we show God’s love to one another most clearly. Walking in relationship with one another allows us to carry each other through lows and trials that we cannot see through to the other side alone. It is where day-to-day troubles can start to melt away; where we can be present and enjoy being in the company of people who "get it", or “get us”. It’s where we can learn, gather wisdom, relate with one another, and occasionally laugh so hard we cry. It’s where we can be lighthearted and have some good old-fashioned fun.
We're told that on this side of life, we must walk through difficulty. But one day we will reach Heaven, where we will be in the ultimate sin-free and suffering-free community together. We will get to enjoy being with one another all the time with no daily distractions, pressures, stressors, or illnesses pulling us away. It will be complete euphoria and joy!

Until that day comes, when we gather together now, we experience our little piece of Heaven — our glimpse into what it will look like on the other side of eternity. It’s why it feels so good once we get ourselves to do it.

It’s why we feel rejuvenated and more prepared when we leave it. Being in community can make the hardships of life more bearable and allow us to realize we are not the only ones dealing with "that thing”.

Our desire at 1st Presbyterian is that no one feels as if they need to tackle life alone.

Community is the heartbeat of our church. When I interviewed for the office position here, I remember Bonnie getting teary-eyed when she spoke of the love she has for this community of people. Wow, what better advertisement for the church than any blog. We want a safe, healthy, thriving body of believers, where all are welcome to come and experience the fullness of God’s love and presence. From groups for addiction, women's groups, men's groups, and small Bible study groups, to youth programs.  We've intentionally created tons of spaces, so anyone can find a place to belong.  The Women’s Conference, “Courage to Connect”, October 4th and 5th, is a perfect example.

Embrace some kind of Christian community this fall!

Whatever season you find yourself in, whatever the “thing” you are needing support through, we have ways for you to come and be in community. Whether you are already great at connecting or you are trying to dip your toe in, check out our events and groups to find ways you can experience a stronger sense of belonging.

One thing that is guaranteed, God will show up and you will gain something you need out of it.

"For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:20).

​In His Name, Susie

​After all the singing our church gave the 3rd and 4th graders their very own Bible. They even got to pick out their color choice!  In the past, this wonderful honor has been reserved for our 3rd graders but, since we did not do it last year, we wanted to include the 4th graders this year. If you know a 3rd or 4th grader who missed receiving their Bible, please let Kierstie or Pastor McLane know. Moms and Dads, I was as equally proud as you to see some of the children I have gotten to know over the past year beaming during the Bible dedication. Following the dedication, we held the annual blessing of the backpacks, an occasion for all children, regardless of age or school, to have their school bags prayed over. Almost thirty children were present. This year's event held a significant meaning amidst the current climate of school violence, instilling hope and reassurance for our students' safety and well-being throughout the school year.

Pastor McLane started preaching on the book of Acts. He encouraged all of us to read chapters 1& 2 this week. I always love how Pastor McLane shares a personal story in his sermons, and I learned that he took sailing in P.E. class! How cool is that?! I’m looking forward to hearing more about his sermons on the book of Acts. I already knew that Christianity and church attendance are down, far from what they once were. As a young mother of children, I am not immune to this and probably could host a TED talk on my own personal experiences of how I have tried to get my friends to come to church. I do feel blessed because I have made friends with so many people my age since attending First Pres.

Finally, we closed our service with the Benediction and “Amazing Grace”. I do not care how many times I hear it; “Amazing Grace” is such a beautiful song. The Fall Kickoff Potluck was on!  The Deacons did a wonderful job decorating and hosting the entire congregation in the gym. Hotdogs and hamburgers with a variety of side dishes were served. I got a chuckle out of the fact that I think there were 10 different plates of deviled eggs.  But in the words of my kids, one can never have enough deviled eggs! Other side dishes included a kale salad, potato chips, and pasta salad. (Please don’t be mad if I didn’t mention your wonderful dish! I know you slaved away making it. It just escapes my mind.)  If you did not have enough food during the main course, then you were in luck because our dessert table was full of all sorts of goodies!  I spied several different types of brownies, ice cream, cheesecake, cookies, and an Oreo pudding.  (Again, please forgive me because I know I’m probably not naming everything!) The Fall Kick-off was great because I got to see a lot of families that I hadn’t seen in weeks or months due to summer activities. I also got to speak with a couple who were new and looking to become members of our church! Overall, the event served as a heartwarming and unifying start to the fall season.

Grace & Peace,
Tracee

​I come from a long line of broken relationships and failed marriages. Like many a young person I entered my marriage convinced that my deep love for my husband would guard us from all of the worldly hurts and ensure our marriage was one that lasted. I simply forgot that we were both human.

It was not too long before the world came crashing into our little newlywed paradise. Our personal baggage and bad habits were suddenly on display 24/7 for another person who never seemed to leave. Our well-meaning but strongly opinionated families were quick to remind us of the obvious. Our hot tempers and need to be right combined with no money, no jobs, and no car meant lots of cozy evenings at home. Add in a few cross-country moves and a premature baby and well, there were times I wondered if love was enough after all.

It was in this place two Septembers into my marriage that I realized something was missing from my love equation, work. I was raised to believe that love was what kept people together. If someone loved you enough, they would stay. No one ever talked about working out that love and what it took day in and day out to actually love another fallen human. No one really talked about how to teach someone else how to love me the right way. Because work had never been part of the conversation my first inclination was to do what I had been taught, run. The problem with this was that I knew running would only bring another kind of hurt, and I was really tired of hurting.

I decided to do things differently. I made up my mind to work out of love. This became my purpose and mission, to love another person out of my love for Christ. This meant that I would love the other person because I loved Christ and because Christ loves me, I was to be treated with love as well. I had to learn what love meant to me and how the other person received love. I had to toss out some bad lessons and find new teachers. I had to face my past and learn to have some hope for my future. This was indeed a hard, often humbling labor of love.

I would love to say that this labor was a beautiful partnership of two young people working things out. The truth was that it was a labor of one human and a loving ever-present Savior. For a time, the only person I could really lean on was Jesus. My family with their long history of cut and run could not understand my mission. Since I was a young bride, my peers were mostly still single. Some of my personal hurts had trained me to be guarded. My misunderstandings of what a good Christian should be kept me smiling on the surface and alone on the inside. This is where Jesus decided to do things differently.

Jesus began again with a new labor of love with me. Suddenly it seemed I found new friends who were a bit older and had been through these waters. We landed in a good church family that understood the mission of loving others. It seemed like excellent books were suddenly available to help me learn what being a child of God was all about. Jesus began tearing open some of my baggage and asking me to consider healing.  Jesus put some distance between me and the strong opinions of my family so I could hear His voice a little more clearly. I imagine at times Jesus felt He was the only one working on the relationship, and yet His labor continued. 

Over the years, labor and love have intertwined in so many wonderful ways. As I work out love in my human relationships, God has been faithful to work out His love in our relationship. There have been many times that my human relationships have not gone the way I would have hoped, and yet somehow God is still there loving all of us. I would love to say that I am always loving to others, but the truth is God is the one who is always loving and I am still working on it.

​In His Name, Bonnie