Skip to main content

What a Fellowship: Celebrating Five Years at Northwest

Well, it's official; I've been at the Church of Christ Northwest for a grand total of five years now. Oh how I've grown to love and appreciate this congregation. It is ironically now, under quarantine and spending week upon week in complete isolation aside from some sporadic personal contact, that my appreciation for this group has been more fully realized.

This church is my family, and I mean that with the utmost sincerity. I regard them to be just as close to me as my father and brother and sister. It is a unity brought about not by blood or marriage, but by Christ. These people are my brothers and sisters, truly and fully.

Are they perfect? Heck no! Neither am I! There have been a variety of screw ups, hurt feelings, sleepless nights, frustrating conversations, and complete misfires in terms of getting stuff done. Lots of it has even been my fault. It hasn't always been easy, smooth, or even enjoyable. Still, it has always been a blessing.

So today, on the anniversary of my starting at Northwest, I want to say thank you to those who have made this journey possible and have been a huge blessing to me. I know I can't mention everybody, so don't feel bad if you aren't mentioned here!

First I must say thank you to the wonderful Dean Kennedy. You, my good sir, are great. I know we tease each other constantly but you really are a spiritual mentor to me. I know I can turn to you for wisdom and clarity, even when I lack both.

Thank you Alan and Susan Moreland. You two are great friends and have been incredibly supportive of me since day one. I literally could not do this without you. Alan, you are an excellent guy and a pleasure to work with. I also appreciate that someone here geeks out like I do! Susan, you are simply extraordinary with all the things you manage juggle, least of all making room in your family's life for me. Also Amelia and Sadie are basically my favorite people ever!

Thank you Gene and Karel Muerhing. You took me in immediately and I am so thankful. It has been an absolute joy to spend time with you guys.

Thank you Aaron and Kristin Campbell (and the girls!) Your hospitality and patience has been a blessing beyond measure. I would never have gotten as far as I have without your love and willingness to listen to me ramble on for far too long.

Thank you Betty and Meta. Y'all do so much work for this congregation and it never fails to impress me. Thank you for always speaking your mind and keeping me on my toes.

Thank you Rodney and Jill Humes (and Brennan, of course). You guys are two of the best friends anyone could ever have. Words cannot express how much I value the time we spend together.

Again, I could mention many more. I could speak of David, Rick and Meg, Mike and Susan, Barb, Terry and Joyce, Tom and Rebecca, Douglas and Crystal, Terry and Teresa, and many others. Thank you!

No, I'm not going anywhere. I just think too often we don't mention how we really feel until we are leaving or its too late. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank the Church of Christ Northwest, and to let you know that you have been a blessing to me in so many ways. I pray that I have been a blessing to you too.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving, the day that we are supposed to celebrate all the things we are thankful for. It is a time of family reunions, football, and turkey eating. I sincerely pray that each and every one of you has a good day today. I'll admit that being thankful has not been easy for me this year. As pretty much all of you know, my mother passed away December of last year. Though she had been in the hospital for months, we were not expecting it. In fact I was sure she would be finally able to come home within a matter of weeks. Instead she peacefully passed on into the arms of Jesus, whom she loved more dearly than anyone else. As you can imagine, the entire family was heart broken. After what can easily be described as the worst Christmas ever, I returned to home to Illinois. It was here that I finally broke down. I spent the next months doing everything except being thankful. I cursed God, wept, screamed, begged to have her back, and was generally not the nicest person to be
3 comments
Read more

Matthew, The Promised Messiah

Imagine, if you will, living as a Jewish Christian in the first century. You grew up following the Mosaic Law and have studied the Old Testament backwards and forwards. The life of the synagogue, that shared community of faith, is precious to you. It was, for the longest time, the cohesive core of your walk of faith. You grew up waiting on the promises of God to be fulfilled. Now you've heard the good news you've been waiting for; the news the entire Jewish people have been waiting for. God has acted decisively! The covenant promises made to Abraham have at last been fulfilled! The Messiah has come! Eagerly you listen to those proclaiming the Messiah, a man named Jesus from the town of Nazareth. You listen and are astounded at his life and teaching. Truly this man was a great prophet, just as Moses promised. You listen in awe as your entire concept of royalty is turned on its head, as this Jesus assumed the throne as the promised king of Israel not by war or riches but by a
Post a Comment
Read more

Reading Aloud

What is the primary way we use Scripture today? I think the answer, at least in our society, is private reading and study. The majority of our spiritual advice can be summed up in "study the Bible more." The moral of many sermons is simply that we don't read the Bible enough. I think that this is absolutely true, but I probably mean something a little different. While I obviously agree that we, in general, don't read the Bible enough individually that isn't actually my main gripe. I think we don't read the Bible enough out loud, in community, as a part of worship. This, I think, should be a central part of our gatherings every week. We should simply read the Bible out loud and listen together in community. How much is the Bible read aloud in your gathering? I'm talking specifically about just reading, not during sermons or classes. How often is the Bible simply read without someone commenting on or explaining it? Just the Scriptures read aloud for all to h
Post a Comment
Read more