August 2020  
Dear friends,  
Grace and Peace to you in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  
Congratulations, you have made it to August of 2020! Give yourself a round of applause. (All jokes aside, it has been a tumultuous year so far; do give yourself credit for persevering.)
 
I saw a quote from Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber a while back and it spoke to me, and I think it may speak to you as well as we continue to endure what our lives currently look like during this pandemic. She said, “If comparison is the thief of joy, then Lord, help me to not compare my life today to my life 6 months ago. Help me find the joy in THIS life, and in THIS day and to know that it is from you, and it is enough. Amen.”  

The pandemic has worn many of us down. We can’t do the things we like to do, like we used to. We’re concerned about traveling or visiting loved ones. We are seeing economic despair. We awake to new headlines of civil unrest every day, and we have to endure the pundits spinning it one way or the other. People are arguing over facemasks. And, most of us are getting a non stop stream reminding us of all these things on the 24 hour news cycles, or worse, our social media platforms.  

We awake daily to this seemingly unending nightmare, and we long for life before COVID19. Yet, in our looking back, we can fail to notice the good that is right in front of us. In longing for past joys, we neglect to see the joy in each day. We fail to see what God is continuing to do in our midst. I was reminded of this when I saw some beautiful flowers blooming in front of the church the other day, I gave thanks to God for the reminder.  

Flowers are blooming, crops are growing, God is using people to be a blessing to one another, and there is still joy to be found in this day, and the days to come. Believe me, I know it can be hard (as I struggle to type with my mending, nearly severed fingertip), but try to find some joy in each day and choose to focus on it, and know that it comes from God, and that it is enough.  

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Robert