Newsletter Home
August, 2003
Dear Saints:
It’s back-to-school time! That brings back all the memories of shopping for school supplies and clothes for my kids. The school supplies were easy to buy, especially in the early grades as everybody had the same list so everybody bought the same stuff. But the clothes were another story. What was cool to some kids screamed out "dorky" to others. It was never easy, but finally the shopping would be completed and the wait for the first school bell to ring would begin.
I was going down memory lane remembering all the stores and the check out lines that my wife and I would go down every August when I noticed a father and son walking side by side. The boy was maybe three and the father was probably in his twenties. This looked awfully familiar. I couldn’t help but to stare at the father and son team as they walked toward the store from the car. Just like I remembered, the little man wanted to walk on his own; he wanted the freedom from his father’s hand. As the father let his son’s hand leave his he turned to him with eyes of love and pride. I noticed the little guy beginning to laugh out loud as he started to feel the confidence well up inside of him as he walked on his own; despite the fact he looked more than just a little wobbly. No doubt he was thinking to himself "Yes, one small step for man, one giant leap for me." Then suddenly he began to fall. Now what happened next really got my attention. Instead of reaching down to break his fall, he reached up! Now everybody knows that when you start to fall you reach down with your hands to try and protect yourself so the damage is minimal. But he reached up and when he did, he once again felt the safe hand of his father. And of course, his father held him up where not even his knee was scratched on the pavement. He remained safe in his father’s hand. Wow. Isn’t that what we need to do in our spiritual walk with our heavenly Father? Instead of reaching down with our focus on where we are falling, shouldn’t we too reach up with our focus on God our loving Father? God also waits to catch us from falling and hurting ourselves. Just like that child’s father, our heavenly Father is ever watching over us and is ever alert to catch us when we fall. As I watched the father and son enter the store I couldn’t help but gaze upward and thank my Father for all the times he had caught me on my way down.
Remember the Youth Car Wash at the church next Saturday August 2nd at 10:00 a.m. The donations will help offset the cost of camp. Please keep Zack, Becky, Holli and Angie in your prayers as they go to Michigan. Friday night Bible studies will start again in September. They will be held downstairs in the Gardner Room at the church. We love you are we’re praying for you.
Holding on to His hand,
Pastor Rick
