From the Pastor

Greetings Grace Family!

I’m going to spare you yet another sports related metaphor in this month’s article, though I did have the recently completed Little League World Series on my mind. But, as I sit and type this article I have just returned from a day when I made several visits to members who are no longer able to participate in the active life at Grace or have been absent from worship for a period of time. This followed several visits the day before. We call these home communion visits and I am usually accompanied by my partner Vicki Jacobs w,ho I am grateful for. We make these visits just about every month and they are always one of the highlights of my month. There are a number of reasons for that, but this article isn’t about me or my feelings.

This article is about those we visit, particularly those who are no longer able to attend worship. Now a visit from the Pastor may not seem all special (and it’s not. Folks are generally much happier to see Vicki!) but truthfully, they are to them. I realized a long time ago that the separation from their church family is among the many difficulties of the loss of independence. I say ‘family’ because often for these folks that how they feel about Grace. Perhaps you do as well. But, until it’s missing from your life that perspective or feeling can be taken for granted. Or, at the very least undervalued.

Many years ago when I joined the church in my late twenties, the fellowship was one of the things I really loved about this new thing in my life. (remember I was not raised in the church) The people were so nice and truly cared about me and my then fiancé in a way that was very much like a family. We shared the highs and lows of life and every thing in between and I looked forward to seeing my family, not just on Sunday mornings, but every time there was a gathering, large or small, of the folks I considered my brothers and sisters. I never had a big family, so I relished being a part of it. Just like the folks we visit monthly.

How do I know that’s how they feel? They tell us regularly how much they miss everyone! They miss that connection. They miss that feeling of belonging. They miss feeling loved. Those feelings were a vital component of the early church and Jesus spoke often about this very family dynamic. And as we’ve been studying Paul’s letter to the Corinthians this family dynamic is a central theme of his letter. The Body of Christ, or the Church, was designed to be a community where we learn about Jesus, worship, experience the means of Grace we call the Sacraments, and love and serve our neighbors. But, it is also a place were we are affirmed, encouraged, built up, comforted and loved unconditionally. It is a place where we feel like we belong in ways that we may not get from our biological families.

Now imagine if it were taken away from you? Or at least significantly limited. It’s nearly impossible to find those things anywhere else. This is one of the reasons why I place such great value in these visits. They remind the folks who they are in Christ and in community. Vicki and I aren’t replacements, but a reminder of the larger church. And any reminder they get is cherished. Just this week one of the people I visited had a card (sent by Sarah Encabo. Thanks Sarah!) they received sitting out on the bedside table in a way that told me it was very special. She proudly showed me the card and read it aloud as she expressed how she missed her family. It was heartbreaking and yet uplifting because it filled me with a sense of gratitude for being a part of the Grace family.

I write this article to help everyone realize how blessed we are to have each other. We may no longer be a big family, but we are a family that loves big. And to say to those of you who send cards or make phone calls to our homebound truly touch the hearts of those you reach out to. And also, to perhaps encourage a few others to maybe sit down and write a note or card and send it to someone you haven’t seen in a while or know isn’t able to attend worship anymore. You have no idea how much it would brighten their day.

In Christ, Pastor Steve

Greetings Grace Family!

You all know that I rarely speak ‘politics.’ I put ‘politics’ in quotes to allow for clarification. I rarely speak of specific political parties or real-life politicians or endorse any particular item you will see on a ballot. I don’t have a literal political agenda. I do have a Christian agenda, however. And just as it’s been since the first century, the Gospel is countercultural. That’s because we live in a broken world filled with sinful people, myself included. This world is not Christian, and neither is our country. Scripture tells us that we (Christians) are in the world, not of the world. We are different. We are holy, set apart to reflect the way of life Jesus modeled for us. We get it right sometimes, we get it wrong other times.

So, why this subject this month? The Olympics! I’ve referenced the NFL draft and the NCAA basketball tournament, so why not keep the theme? I enjoy the Olympics and the various sports that are a part of it. I won’t watch fencing, or canoeing, or break dancing (did you know breaking is part of the 2024 Olympics?) any other time of year, but every four years? Give me some of it! It’s not just the competition that I enjoy, it is the spirit of the Olympics that I love. There is always a speech at the opening ceremony about how the Olympics bring together nations from every corner of the world in the spirit of competition and unity. It’s the unity part that I love.

The athletes of the Games spend years obsessively training to compete. There’s nothing they want more than to beat the pants off their fellow competitors! There are definitely personal rivalries and national rivalries, yet despite the unwavering desire to win and spirited competition, you almost always see at the end of a competition the athletes embrace those they beat and those they lost to regardless of nation or personal feelings. That isn’t all that common in professional sports, amateur sports, and definitely not in youth sports. All too often there is a pettiness that looks to me like, at the very least, bad sportsmanship. I rarely see that in the Olympics.

Getting back to the current culture, global and in the States, the divisiveness and vitriol has never been more pronounced. And that breaks my heart. I’m getting older so it’s possible that I’ve now entered the “Things were better in my day!”, or, “Things were never this bad!” stage of life. But there does seem to be more hatred toward our fellow humans in the public political arena and in the private world of our everyday lives. Yes, there are still more people being kind to each other than not, but sheesh, things seem less civil than they once were. Who’s to blame? I’m not here to place blame, but to remind us all of who we are and who we’re called to be.

Blessed are the peacemakers. They will know we are Christians by our love. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God. These are just a few quotes that are hopefully familiar to you all. Scripture is filled with all kinds of encouragement to be the holy people God calls and equips us to be. It can be easy to forget these things in a world that is broken and filled with sinful people (like me!).

Please don’t think that this article means that I believe you are all part of the problem. You’re not. You are all truly wonderful, generous, and kind folks. It’s just watching fierce competitors shake hands and embrace after a competition reminds me that there is still a lot of good in our world and that we contribute to that as Christians.

Sure, we could do better, so there’s some encouragement for you also. The things we say and do matter, even the little things. But - I also want to discourage you from getting caught up in the spiral of negativity that seems so prevalent in our world. My advice? Watch the Olympics instead of the nightly news!

Yours in Christ,
Pr. Steve

Dear Grace Family,

This is the newsletter article I never thought or imagined I would ever have to write. Summer is here and normally a July article would include quips about how hot it is and how I warned everyone during the cold and rainy winter that amidst the complaints about how cold it is, that summer would be here before you knew it. I would also gently remind everyone to remain faithful with your financial support during the lower attendance summer months in an effort to avoid a budget deficit that would facilitate a late year push to meet the budget.

This time around my mind is elsewhere. On June 3^rd, while I was beginning a rare week of vacation, I received a text from a number I did not recognize that stated, “Can you please come to the hospital immediately?” My mind immediately began to race wondering who had sent this text and what the nature of this obvious crisis was. So, I quickly called the number and was given the devastating news that our Preschool Director has unimaginably passed away from cardiac arrest while in the hospital recovering from a broken femur. Ms. Christy’s sister Terri delivered this shocking news through the tears of her shock and grief.

A wave of emotion flooded over me, and I almost dropped to my knees. How? Why? Wait, what? My heart broke for the Arreguin family, the preschool children and their families, our Grace family, and the countless lives Ms. Christy had touched during her nearly four decades at the Preschool. This can’t be! I still can’t believe it, yet it is so sadly true.

So many thoughts and emotions raced through my mind and the next 24 hours were a blur with dozens of phone calls and very difficult conversations. Nobody was prepared for this. How could we be? A light that shined as bright as Ms. Christy’s could never be extinguished. How could God allow this to happen? What would we do now? So many questions...So much confusion…

My reaction is not atypical. In fact, it is normal. I’ve experienced it before as I imagine many of you have too. Grief, especially when it hits so suddenly, is overwhelming and elicits so many questions, many of which will never be answered on this side of heaven.

The questions, even if we know we won’t get answers, are quite reasonable. Throughout the scriptures God’s people openly ask questions, often because we can’t understand what God is up to. (There’s an entire book in the Old Testament called, “Lamentations!”) That’s more than reasonable in light of the infinite scope of God’s wisdom and power.

As we, and the many authors of scripture, ask those ‘why’ questions we must not lose sight of one critical point; God also provides us with a sense of hope that also defies explanation. Hope has sustained me through every impossible situation and will sustain me and all who grieve for Ms. Christy as we navigate the broken road we call life.

The void left by this tragedy also has practical implications as Ms. Christy’s leadership at the Preschool cannot be duplicated or replaced. But hope also provides the opportunity for optimism and we will trust in God to lead us through the dark valley. I know the three amazing teachers, Ms. Cerise, Ms. Jules, and Ms. Shrada, believe that. Our Preschool Board led by Candace Canchola and Jerry Colwell believe that. And our Congregation Council led by Brenda Noriega also believe that. And we are all committed to making sure that Ms. Christy’s legacy will continue for years to come.

I don’t know what the future holds or what God will do. But I do know He is faithful when we are faithful. Eventually I am confident that in time we will look back and see the fingerprints of God all over the blueprint that he has already created and instead of asking why, we will be proclaiming, “Wow!”

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Steve

Greetings Grace Family,

Summer is here and for those of us who have jobs that can often mean planning or taking a vacation. I have vacationing on my mind because as I’m writing this article I am days away from a family vacation. Something I am excited about! It is not something I’ve done probably as much as I should have since taking a call at Grace. Sure, I’ve taken weekends off here and there, but I can count on one hand (and still not using all my fingers!) the number of times I have taken a full week off. It is not really ideal or something I would necessarily brag about.

There are a few things that have contributed to my lack of yearly vacations. One of those contributors is that during my adult life it wasn’t something me and my family did consistently. For much of my first marriage my wife and I were raising a child and traveling with children can be as much work as vacation, and we never really had a great deal of extra income that lent itself to expensive travel. We also have a home that has a bit of a stay-cationing setting, and for the last several years before Tracy died I was in school and vacation time was not a thing when a person is working fulltime and pursuing a graduate degree. I don’t have regrets about not being vacation people, nor am I complaining. I’m a pretty simple guy who does like to stay close to home with my family so I never felt like I was missing out.

So, why the personal disclosure about my vacation history? For one, like I stated, I’m about to take a vacation. Really though, it is really more about balance in one’s life and something we all need, probably, more of. And that is Sabbath time. Now I’m not talking about Old Testament, strict adherence to the Commandment of keeping the Sabbath holy. It is more the spirit of that Commandment that I am referring to.

God gave the Commandment with very specific reasons for the Israelites thousands of years ago at a time and for a people radically different from us and our current age. Without going into the weeds theologically, the two basic and primary reasons were for rest and be intentional about our relationship with God. That’s the balance I’ve been contemplating.

Because of the not so common for me vacation I’ve been thinking about the balance between those two things, rest and relationship. If I’m being honest I’m much better at one of those things. Can you guess which one it is? Of course it is my relationship with God. Is that what you guessed? As I’ve said many times I am fortunate that I am a ‘professional’ Christian and I get to spend quite a bit of time practicing disciplines that foster a deep and abiding relationship with my Creator and Savior. It is perhaps the greatest part of being a Pastor! It’s the rest part that I really needed to contemplate.

Pastors are busy people and often feel as though our work is never done. Burn-out is a real issue in the profession. But, as I thought about it, my rest, or Sabbath practice of resting, I realized I’m not as deficient as I initially thought. Now, I rarely have a full day of rest in the OT sense. Few truly do. But, I do manage to find chunks of time when I can relax, unwind, and do nothing. Sometimes without even feeling guilty! (I’m getting better at that!) And though I haven’t taken advantage of week long periods of time to ‘vacation’ I feel pretty good about how I’ve balanced spending time with God and spending time decompressing. I will admit that I would like more regular vacations and I hope this won’t be my last vacation for the next few years.

So, what about you? Do you feel like you have to always be doing something? Do you feel like you could devote more time relationally with God? Here’s something I kind of realized in thinking about the Sabbath and the rest/relationship component. God is a realist. He devoted 6/7ths of a week, or 85%, of His time ‘working’. That’s way more busyness than rest. Does that resonate with you? Sure we could always spend more time fostering a better relationship with God and resting, but at the minimum, less than 20% of our time is sufficient. It’s not necessarily optimal, but that lower number should relieve any guilt you might be feeling about how much time you devote to the two R’s. I say it’s not optimal because spending more time with God will always result in a deeper and more fulfilling life. And who couldn’t use a bit more rest?

God wants us to live happy and healthy lives. This is why Jesus said that the Sabbath was for humans and not humans were made for the Sabbath. It is a gift and a blueprint for a happy and healthy life. And the proper balance between God, rest and work can make all the difference in the world. How’s your balance? Do you feel like you’re on a hamster wheel and making little progress? Do you feel close to or distant from God right now or in general? Or, do you feel unproductive because, well, there’s a lot of resting? The thing is that balance will change in different seasons in our lives and it is very individualized. My balance isn’t yours and vice versa. Your answer to those three questions I just asked will help you discover if you’re out of balance. We mostly have control of how we spend our time and finding the sweet spot is part of what I believe God had in mind for us with that Commandment. It wasn’t an order from God to make Him happy. It was a gift from God to help us be happy in what is often a crazy and sometimes chaotic world.

Yours in Christ

Pastor Steve

Christ is Risen!

Greetings Sisters and Brothers. We continue to begin worship with the Easter proclamation until the day of Pentecost, which is May 19. The season lasts 50 days, coinciding with the time Jesus was thought to have spent on this side of heaven after His resurrection. There is very little written about what Jesus was doing during that time, just a handful of stories in the Gospels, and I’ve often thought it would be really cool if we had more stories about that time. Alas, you and I will be left in the dark, but I can imagine that after so many days Jesus’ disciples might have started to think, “This is the time when Jesus will establish His reign and bring to fullness the Kingdom of God!” Imagine their surprise when Jesus suddenly ascended, defying gravity and returning to resume His place at the right hand of God.

I can’t help but chuckle when I read the account of that moment in the book of Acts. As the disciples stood, mouths agape I imagine, looking up, an angel of the Lord basically said to them, “What are you doing standing here looking up to the sky? Jesus is gone, get to work!” What a moment that must have been. I can also imagine the disciples wanting to spend some time processing and discussing not just what they witnessed, but all they had experienced in the prior three plus years. There was a lot to process. But, Jesus was generally more a doer than a talker and it was time for the team to take the reins.

Much like last month’s sports related article, I spent some time watching the recent NFL draft and my brain started to think about the very early days of the Church and those men and women who were the first to believe and come to faith and how it might relate to the draft. I know it may sound a bit crazy, but indulge my craziness for just a few more paragraphs.

The NFL draft represents the best of the best taking their unique skill sets to the professional level for the betterment of the organization that drafted them. I can imagine them being a bit overwhelmed by being drafted, but also by the prospect of competing against the best of the best at the highest level of their craft. Those who are drafted do get a little time to process, but much like the sense of urgency the angel expressed to the disciples, the teams in the NFL afford their draftees very little time to process. It’s time to get to work rookie! You’ve got a lot to learn. The good news for them is, again like the disciples, they had spent the previous few years (in college) preparing to take things to the next level.

NFL rookies will have to rely on and trust their instincts. The disciples will have to rely on and trust their faith and, most importantly, the gift of the Holy Spirit. They were much better equipped than even Caleb Williams, the first pick in the most recent draft. In some ways, admittedly very minimally, those original disciples were also chosen (drafted, if you will) by One who had done His research (or because Jesus was God, knew everything about each of the ones he’d choose) to use their gifts for the betterment of the team otherwise known as humanity.

This is where the similarities, if there were any similarities, vanish. In the Kingdom of Heaven the draft never ends and there is only one team. Jesus has continued to choose His disciples, equipping them with the very same Spirit He breathed into those first believers. Each of us is a first round draft choice, and in fact, are the very first pick in the draft. In God’s eyes no one disciple is more valuable than another and no one disciple is better equipped than any other. How cool is that? There is no Mr. Irrelevant in Jesus draft.

Who, you may be asking, is Mr. Irrelevant? That is the title given to the last pick in each year’s draft by a man named Paul Salata. Salata played football for USC and had a short marginal career in the NFL who approached the NFL Commissioner some 50 years ago to ask if he could create a special event celebrating the final draft pick. He believed that no matter where someone was chosen, the fact that they had been chosen was reason to celebrate just as much as the first person chosen. The title Mr. Irrelevant can be a bit misleading. Salata didn’t think the last player chosen was irrelevant, but that it was irrelevant where they were chosen.

Hearing that is what sent my crazy brain down this rabbit hole. We tend to base our value or worth in comparison to others, but God doesn’t. We are each His treasure of immeasurable worth simply because of who He is. And He wouldn’t or couldn’t choose any one of us over another. And in the Kingdom, we each have an equally important part to play as witnesses. Our problem is often that we don’t think we have what it takes to make a difference or that others can do it better. The truth is we are all ‘in the game’ and have a part to play, working together with the rest of the team as Jesus roots us on from the sideline. You were chosen for a reason. God sees you as the best of the best! Now all we need to do is act like it.

Yours in Christ

Pastor Steve

Greeting Sisters and Brothers in Christ!

Based on my regular use of sports metaphors in my sermons, I think most of you know I am a sports fan. I have been as long as I can remember. I find the nature of competition to be interesting if not occasionally exhilarating. And it can often be a bit of an escape from the often chaotic nature of life. One of my favorite times of the sports calendar is March Madness, which is happening as I write this article.

March Madness, as it’s commonly known as, is the end of the season men’s (and women’s) college basketball tournament. I pay very little attention to regular season college basketball but when the 68 teams that participate in the tournament are selected my attention turns to the hardwood. It’s called March Madness because of its often chaotic nature and frenetic pace. Every year high ranking favorites lose to the underdog (or Cinderella) and there are always plenty of close games that come down to the wire. The unpredictable nature creates this sense of chaos or madness and it can be thrilling for sports fans like me.

What does this have to do with a newsletter article? It certainly isn’t because I love chaos in my life or in the church. I have a strong aversion to chaos. I like predictable and stable. This is why I love a routine even if it can be a bit ‘boring’. There’s enough crazy in the world that for the sake of my mental health I like to create an illusion of stability with my daily routine. I’m probably not alone in feeling that way.

But, the reality is life is unpredictable and we have very little control over the chaos that often impacts our lives. Accidents happen, illness is unavoidable and we live in a sinful world with sinners like us. Nothing contributes more to chaos than sin. And unlike watching a basketball tournament, I find the chaos to be less than thrilling. When chaos interrupts my sometimes boring life I find that my faith is the thing that helps the most.

I know it may sound cliché and predictable for a pastor to write such a thing, but remember, I haven’t always been a pastor. And we are no more immune or impervious to the trials of life than anyone else. Although because of my vocation I do have the advantage of being what I have called a ‘professional Christian.’ A significant part of my job is to do the things Jesus and the scriptures encourage us to do in order to make our faith more functional in our lives. Things like prayer, reading and studying scripture, serving others, praise and worship help develop a greater knowledge of God and a deeper relationship with Jesus. In doing so I’ve discovered that the more I know God and the closer I get to Jesus, the more I find that chaos has no place with God or my relationship with our Savior.

God is faithful and steadfast in all His ways. Without getting to theological what that means to me is I can always count on God to be who and what He is and has proven to be. He is the Rock in my life, the firm foundation, and the one thing I can always count on when all else fails. That doesn’t mean God is predictable, but God always acts in ways that are consistent with who God is. Easter is proof of that. Jesus said things that were literally unbelievable, yet were proven to be true. He made promises that were always kept and He always acted out of selfless love.

The joy of Easter is about so much more than the promise of eternal life. It is an invitation to a hope that is real on this side of heaven when the you know what hits the fan we have a counter to the chaos that most of us would like to avoid. When Jesus rose from the dead He defeated our greatest enemy and the source of chaos. Yes, for the sake of our eternal life, but also to help us deal with the crazy until life eternal begins. I find that to be much more satisfying and infinitely more exciting than March Madness. I am a voyeur for the chaos of March Madness but it has no impact on my life so I don’t need a Rock to steady the ship. But in life I can’t imagine living without the Rock who reminds me that there are no upsets or underdogs and I am the Cinderella story thanks to all that God has done for me.