M-Note 10.26.2021

 Saturday, my daughter Carly turned 16. For this milestone birthday, we celebrated by taking her and 5 friends out to a special dinner. We ate, laughed, blew out candles, and enjoyed cookie cake and ice cream. Reflecting that night, I couldn’t believe she was already 16. I remember when she was born, when she took her first steps, and when I could carry her on my shoulders. Now she is itching to get her license (that comes tomorrow) and ready for freedom. She thinks she has arrived, and I am both happy for her and a little sad that she is growing up so fast. I had to remind myself that she is just getting started. Turning 16 feels like a destination, but it is only the beginning. There is so much left in store for her, and I cannot wait to be a part of it as her dad.

That got me thinking about our church. Carly was 1 when I started The Gathering. Just like Carly, our church has grown up a lot since then. Now that we are 15, we have more freedom, independence, and strength than we did in our infancy.  It can be tempting to think we’re well-established and all grown up. And though we definitely have come a long way, much like my 16 year old daughter, we are really just getting started. Our whole life is out in front of us. Being 15 years old can feel like we have arrived, but our journey is just beginning.
 
We just started a new sermon series, OPEN, where we are talking about The Gathering’s future. I am sharing a vision for our church that starts now! It is my firm belief that like any teenager, the most exciting parts of our story are chapters that have not yet been written. We are just getting started.
 
By now, all of you should have received a book in the mail that will serve as a companion guide for this series. We think this season of our church is so important that we wrote a book to go along with it! I hope that you take that book and look at it, read it, engage with it, pray along with us, and begin thinking about what all this might mean for you. Spiritually speaking, God is not done with you yet either. No matter your literal age, there is still more that God can and will do with your life, if you are open to it.

This weekend, I will be sharing the third message in this series. If you have yet to be back to in-person worship, I urge you to come back if you are local. If you can’t, please join us online. If you missed a message in the series, don’t forget you can listen to them on the app or website.
 
Our church is just getting started. But in order for God to do something new in our church, we have to believe that God can do something new in your life. Perhaps you feel stuck or disconnected. Maybe you have gotten busy or out of the habit of church. Or maybe you just feel ready – ready for something new, something hopeful, something more. If that is you, this is the time to engage - to return to worship, and to begin considering what new thing God might be wanting to do in your life.
 
Peace,

P.S. If you didn’t get a book in the mail, you can pick one up in person at our sites or find it online and on the app.