I’ll be home by the time you read this, but I am writing from Dallas, Texas. I spent the July fourth holiday with my daughter Anna who is doing an internship this summer at our sister ECO church, Highland Park Presbyterian Church. I hope you enjoyed your fourth as much as I did!
One of the things I love about summer is its different rhythm. Our schedules tend to be less structured. The kids are out of school. We dress more casually at work. And hopefully, we get a chance to put our toes in the sands or our boots on the trails.
When listening to the waves or looking out over mountain ranges, I always think about the Gerard Manley Hopkins poem, God’s Grandeur, that begins – “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” It’s worth a read. The beauty of nature is God’s gift and reminder that He is indeed our Good Shepherd. He gives us the world to refresh us and bring us rest.
On Sunday, Mark will continue in our Psalm for the Summer series with “Rest for the Stressed” with the third line of the 23rd Psalm – He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. I am enjoying hearing from you about this Psalm and series.
I am also enjoying seeing your pictures when you are away at the lake or the beach or on other vacations. Above you can see some of the pictures that you have sent me as you are watching our worship services live on Sunday mornings – from the lake, from Canada, and even from home with a cast on.
Did you know that you can get on our website and watch the Sunday services live with us? It will never be a substitute for having you with us worshiping, but it’s a great way to stay in touch and worship whether you are on vacation, or you are sick or home with sick kids. Just go to the homepage and click sermons and you will see the livestream page. Click here to see the page for the live stream.
I am so proud of our production team for the way they support our services and our live stream each week. They are always looking for volunteers to help set up and support worship. You do not have to have specific skills or experience to volunteer. And I can tell you from first-hand experience, they are a fun group of people to work with. To get more information you can contact our team leader, Paul Ney directly at pney@gracecb.org.
Can’t wait for Sunday!
Your pastor and friend,
Marnie Crumpler
Senior Pastor