Dear First Pres,
I’m back!
As many of you know, vacation is a wonderful gift. It’s so good to get extra time with family, visit new places, take it slow, read for fun, enjoy extended time with the Lord, take a nap, and unplug from the demands of normal work life. That’s what I experienced this last month, and I am so grateful for the incredible volunteers and staff who made it possible for me to step away. What a blessing!
Vacation is a wonderful gift, but so is work. God created us to work (remember, that’s not just the stuff we get paid to do). It’s one of the ways that we participate in His redeeming transformation. That’s why I’m genuinely excited to be back at work.
No, it’s not the normal return from vacation - when I get to greet you face-to-face, hold the new babies that God has given our congregation, hug the grieving who have lost loved ones, and hear you graciously laugh at one of my bad jokes. Still, we’re in the midst of a very important summer.
Months ago, when I felt the Lord encouraging me to have our church focus on prayer for the summer, I had no idea what all we’d be facing. So much has been exposed in us these past months: our idolatry, our insecurity, our pride, our prejudice, our inequality, our privilege, and our apathy. But as the Lord brings these things into the light, He also makes His healing grace available to us. When we’re willing to step out of the darkness - out of the shadows of fear and shame - and into His marvelous and exposing light with humble and repentant hearts, God opens the floodgates of heaven. Hallelujah!
We will never see His Kingdom in Fresno as it is in heaven without humble and repentant hearts. That’s why it’s so important for us to be praying together, asking God to have His way in us and through us. Beloved, if you’re not yet in one of our Summer Prayer Project groups, please join us. God is really working in and through these groups. Don’t miss out. Find a group that works for you on our website. It’s not too late for you to jump in.
God is at work, Beloved, and I’m so glad He called me to be part of His plans for FPC Fresno. Hang in there. Keep seeking His face. Keep getting together to pray. Don’t give up. Don’t lose hope. He is the Lord Almighty, the King of glory. His Kingdom is coming.
Blessings,
Jeremy
P.S. This Sunday we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper in our online worship service. I encourage you to make sure you’re ready to participate.
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