I had to take my car to the garage today. I hit a pothole going to Walmart that was big enough to swallow up Mini Cooper. Oddly enough, now my tire won't hold air. They said it would be at least an hour before they could look at it, so I walk to the nearest Dunks for coffee and a table to work. As I walked along a road that I had driven a thousand times, I had an interesting revelation. I began to see things that I had past so many times before, but never noticed. As I did, it struck me what a different perspective I had when I slowed down.
It got me thinking about the way I often live my life. More often than not, it seems like I am rushing from activity to activity at such a pace that I really don't see many of the things around me. When I was walking today (rather than driving) I saw homes and businesses I never really noticed. I watched people walk their dog and put out their trash. I wondered about their lives and did they know Jesus. We live in a world where there is often so much to be done that we sometimes miss the people right around us; in our workplace, our neighborhood, the gym. Even as I sit here in Dunks there is a man sitting alone at a table watching a video on his phone. So many people around us we so often rush by. These are people with lives, with struggles, with needs. And many of them do not yet know Jesus. And as we often stay around Rock Church, everyone needs Jesus.
So I guess my thought for today is to try to slow down once in a while. Noticed the world around us that we often rush right by. And noticed the people. These are all people for whom Christ died. They are all people who need the hope the gospel.
Before I wrap up I want to highlight a few important opportunities coming up this Summer that you will definitely want to know about.
Day camp. This year we will have two separate programs. A day program in Plaistow on August 22-26 and an evening program in Sandown on August 15-19. You can link to all the details from our newsletter.
Men's summit. The annual Men's Summit is coming up on September 9th to 11th. The registration will open later this week. So put the date on your calendar and watch for the registration link soon.
Night of worship and block party! We are planning a great fall kickoff event for Saturday September 17th. It will be a block party with games and activities for the family and a massive barbecue in the afternoon. This will be followed by our night of worship concert. This will all be outdoors in our new pavilion in Plaistow. Please mark your calendars, and if you would like to help in any way here is a link to volunteer.
On a personal note, on August 27th Julie and I will be married. Because we have so many people that we love we really could not decide who to invite and who not to invite. So we're simply doing an open invitation, but with a limited number. You can see all the details at this link.
I pray you are all having a great week. I look forward to us being together this Sunday as we wrap up our series “Life in the Spirit.” You won't want to miss this final message.
Love you all,
Pastor Steve