Beloved of God,

    I want to make sure that you have been able to catch up with the good work being done by our missionaries. It was so great to hear from the Joneses on Sunday morning, and if you missed doing so I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch their interview with Dana Pratt.
    
    It was also great to spend time with the Blakes on Sunday evening at their “Desert and Dessert” event and hear more about the remarkable work they have been doing in West Africa. If you’d like more info on their good work, please feel free to contact the missions team at their new email address: [email protected].
    
    In Psalm 37, from the Monday reading, we come across one of my favorite images of God in all of scripture. I’m going to quote it here in the NRSV:

                      Psa. 37:23        Our steps are made firm by the LORD,
                                                            when he delights in our way;
                                         24     though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
                                                            for the LORD holds us by the hand.
    
    I love the image of God as a loving parent who knows that we will fall and fail, and yet preserves us from disaster by holding our hand as we stumble along. You’ve all seen a baby learning to walk with the aid of a parent holding their hand. It’s true that when the baby walks they are really walking. It’s true that when the baby falls, they are really falling. But because mom or dad are there with them, the walking is easier and the falling is less disastrous. And doesn’t this feel so much like the kind of care we get from God?

Please join me in praying this week for:
    *     Those facing hurricanes on the gulf coast
    *     Those fighting and fleeing fire on the west coast
    *     Those both known and unknown to us who have been directly affected by this pandemic
    *     Doctors, nurses, other healthcare professionals and first responders as they continue to work to keep us safe and healthy
    *     Students and their parents
    *     Administrators, teachers, and others trying to educate students well in the midst of new challenges
    *     Those dealing with mental health challenges that are more pronounced in this time
    *     In praise for the containment of the Medio Fire
    *     For those serving the church in leadership positions: council, deacons, CLT and others
    *     For our sister churches nearby and throughout
    *     For one another (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to the prayer list).

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall

Beloved of God,

    This weekend we will all have the opportunity to hear from both of the missionary families that WRBC supports directly. We will be hearing from the Joneses on Sunday morning during the service via live video, and from the Blakes in the evening at 6pm in the Great Room. If you for any reason can’t attend or view either conversation, I know that the missions team would be happy to answer as many questions as they can.
    I have been so encouraged this past week to hear story after story of people who are looking out for one another through phone calls, visits, and shared table fellowship. I myself have been the beneficiary of a great deal of this kind of care. The great Baptist renegade Will Campbell used to say, “How can you go to church? You can be the church out there where God’s children are.” In a time where we cannot be together at the church house as often or with as many as we like, I am deeply encouraged to find so many of you being the church. I hope we will continue to be the church together.
    
Please join me in praying for:

• Jerri McTaggart and other volunteers helping with hurricane recovery in Louisiana, and those who need their help.
  
• Those fleeing from and fighting wildfires on the west coast.
• The Joneses serving in Oaxaca, Mexico.
• The Blakes serving in West Africa.
• Those who are lonely, afraid and isolated.
• In praise for the life of Dick Basinger and in intercession for his family.
• Our youngest brothers and sisters.
• Our oldest brothers and sisters.
• For teachers and school administrators who are confronting unprecedented challenges as they seek to educate the young folks in our community.
• For Doctors, nurses, other healthcare professionals and first responders as they battle this pandemic on behalf of us all.
• For people in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local level.
• In praise, because no matter what, the Eternal One still sits on the throne, still loves us deeply, and is still working all things for the good of us: the beloved and the called.
• For each other. Please email April ([email protected]) if you’d like to be added to our prayer list.
  

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall

Beloved of God,

    I want to remind you first of all that we are celebrating the Lord’s Supper together this Sunday. If you will not be here in person, you may pick up the elements at the church this Saturday from 9am to Noon. If you need them delivered to you, please call the church at 505.672.9764.
    I’ve been thinking about some of the Psalms that use imagery from nature to describe God’s power. I blame the Medio Fire and Psalm 104 for that. We have another Psalm in our readings this Sunday that does that. Psalm 29 feels like a storm. I love that the Psalmist looked at something like a violent storm, ripping through the Northern forests and flashes of lighting on the mountain and was able to look through those powerful forces and see the God of Israel. And yet this Monday we also had in our Psalm readings Psalm 23, one of the most tender pictures of God in all of scripture; God as shepherd. We have also this week Psalm 24 in which God is hailed as King of Glory. All three of these Psalms come out of the collection that we trace to David. I wonder how it is that one man could be so aware of God in so many different circumstances. I tend to settle into habits where I think about God as either Shepherd, or King, or the booming Voice in a storm, but very rarely all three at once.
    We may do well to remember that the way we imagine God might be too small if we can’t hold some of these images together at the same time. And it may be encouraging to note that if we don’t know how, we have a lifetime of discipleship in which to figure out how to do just that and the wisdom of the Psalms to guide us.

Please join me in praying this week for :
*     The family of Dick Basinger
*     Those working to serve our community in our schools
*     Lorelei Hayward and her family as she continues to recover from surgery
*     Those seeking refuge from and fighting the fires on the west coast
*     Our missionaries to Oaxaca (the Joneses) and West Africa (the Blakes)
*     Those working to keep others well in this pandemic like doctors, nurses, first responders and others
*     Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local levels
*     Students navigating school remotely and at home
*     Parents of young students
*     Those who may be lonely, isolated, or afraid in the midst of COVID-19
*     Each other (email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to the prayer list)

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,
Marshall