Words of Hope From Pastor Gavin
Dear Church,
How is everything going in your home? This quarantine lifestyle has meant spending more time at home and you may be feeling a number of different ways about it. Some of you may be glad for the extra time with loved ones and family. Others may be getting stir crazy and feel like your family is getting on each other’s nerves. Yet still, others may live alone and crave more personal connections. Whatever quarantine means, it is probably dependent on what is happening in your home.
As the days have turned into weeks, staying at home may be exerting its own kind of slow pressure. Anything new, anything even mildly stressful has the tendency to turn us inward. It is precisely times like these, whether we are single or married, to be watchful of the tendency to isolate. This slow-building pressure around quarantine will start showing in irritability, impatience, and frustration with others. But, in the short video above (6 min), I want to encourage you with Scripture that reveals this truth: people are not the problem. In fact, people can be a large part of the solution to developing resiliency. It is precisely in moments like these that connection to others, with friends or a spouse, is crucial to picking each other up.
Today, I want to invite you to meditate on a few passages, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Proverbs 18:1, Colossians 3:12-13. These passages remind us of the importance of relationships and the qualities we need so that this adversity builds us closer together rather than push us further into isolation. God’s word has everything we need for “training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), and His Spirit gives us the strength to respond well to the difficult circumstances we face.
Consider looking through our great resources on our COVID-19 Resources Page to shepherd your heart and perhaps to share with a friend for their encouragement. If you are married, re|engage marriage ministry is happening virtually every Wednesday at 7:30pm to help you communicate and be encouraged at this time. We are open for new people even now! Register online to join us.
I pray God’s grace is flowing from you and to you in this unusual time.
Gavin Carrier
Pastor of Care and Counseling
How is everything going in your home? This quarantine lifestyle has meant spending more time at home and you may be feeling a number of different ways about it. Some of you may be glad for the extra time with loved ones and family. Others may be getting stir crazy and feel like your family is getting on each other’s nerves. Yet still, others may live alone and crave more personal connections. Whatever quarantine means, it is probably dependent on what is happening in your home.
As the days have turned into weeks, staying at home may be exerting its own kind of slow pressure. Anything new, anything even mildly stressful has the tendency to turn us inward. It is precisely times like these, whether we are single or married, to be watchful of the tendency to isolate. This slow-building pressure around quarantine will start showing in irritability, impatience, and frustration with others. But, in the short video above (6 min), I want to encourage you with Scripture that reveals this truth: people are not the problem. In fact, people can be a large part of the solution to developing resiliency. It is precisely in moments like these that connection to others, with friends or a spouse, is crucial to picking each other up.
Today, I want to invite you to meditate on a few passages, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Proverbs 18:1, Colossians 3:12-13. These passages remind us of the importance of relationships and the qualities we need so that this adversity builds us closer together rather than push us further into isolation. God’s word has everything we need for “training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), and His Spirit gives us the strength to respond well to the difficult circumstances we face.
Consider looking through our great resources on our COVID-19 Resources Page to shepherd your heart and perhaps to share with a friend for their encouragement. If you are married, re|engage marriage ministry is happening virtually every Wednesday at 7:30pm to help you communicate and be encouraged at this time. We are open for new people even now! Register online to join us.
I pray God’s grace is flowing from you and to you in this unusual time.
Gavin Carrier
Pastor of Care and Counseling